You had to work in a very difficult and challenging environment, at an extremely difficult time, Kelly Degnan, the US ambassador to Georgia, stated in connection with the work of the Public Defender of Georgia, Nino Lomjaria.

The ambassador thanked Nino Lomjaria for her work.

"Dear Nino, I want to personally thank you for your service as a Public Defender and Ombudsman. You were a true champion of the Georgian people. I know it's been an extremely difficult time, but once again, the Office of the Public Defender, you and your team, work every day to uphold your role, which is so clearly spelled out in the Constitution, with dignity, integrity, and incredible courage.

We are all following the selection process of the new Ombudsman very closely and we all hope that an independent, highly qualified and apolitical Public Defender will be elected as a result," Degnan said.

*The quotes in the article have been double-translated from Georgian and wordings may be inaccurate.