It is impermissible and illegal to fire civil servants because of their openly expressed civic position or opinions, - the Public Defender of Georgia has issued a statement on this.

As mentioned in the statement, the Public Defender will study the facts of the possible violation of the freedom of labor of civil servants due to the use of freedom of expression.

"The public defender echoes the appeal of Tbilisi Municipality City Hall employees, as well as the issue of labor rights of public servants employed in other public institutions and emphasizes that freedom of expression extends to the workplace and public servants have the constitutional right to enjoy this right. Any personnel decision made in the public service must be in full compliance with the constitutional guarantees of protection of this right and must not be arbitrary.

The Public Defender emphasizes the importance of the principle of equality and reminds the heads of public institutions that it is inadmissible and illegal to fire public officials because of their openly expressed civic position or opinions, or to give them any kind of instructions regarding leaving the occupied position of their own free will.

The public defender emphasizes the importance of freedom of expression and will study the facts of possible violations of the freedom of labor of civil servants due to the use of freedom of expression, and will inform the public about the results of the investigation," the statement said.