Transparency International Georgia has submitted two additional applications to the Strasbourg Court.

“One concerns a well-known journalist, Victoria (Vika) Bukia, a host on TV Pirveli; the other concerns a lawyer by profession, Mikheil Zaqareishvili. In the case of the former, the rights to freedom of expression, a fair trial, and protection from discrimination were violated. The second applicant became a victim of violations of the rights to freedom of assembly and expression, the right to respect for private life, and the right to a fair trial.

Vika Bukia was found guilty of an administrative offence by courts subservient to Ivanishvili and was fined GEL 4,000 for referring to a Georgian Dream MP, Mariam Lashkhi, as a “slave” on her Facebook page. The clan-based judiciary relied on a law adopted by Georgian Dream MPs themselves, including Mariam Lashkhi, which places representatives of Georgian Dream in a privileged position compared to others and imposes administrative penalties on anyone who dares to “insult” them. The domestic courts disregarded high standards applicable in the field of freedom of expression, such as the recognition of the media’s special role as a public watchdog in a democratic society, the higher degree of tolerance required from politicians, and the enhanced protection afforded to value judgments, including metaphorical and other forms of figurative expression.

Mikheil Zaqareishvili was sentenced by the Murusidze–Chinchaladze court to 5 days of administrative detention solely for participating in a protest on the sidewalk in front of Parliament. The courts held that Mikheil Zaqareishvili obstructed pedestrian movement, despite the fact that even the video evidence submitted to the court by the Ministry of Internal Affairs clearly shows that the number of protesters was too small to hinder the movement of passersby.

Over the past year, Transparency International Georgia has submitted 8 applications to the Strasbourg Court. We will continue to defend the rights of our citizens both before the Strasbourg Court and in other international human rights protection mechanisms”, reads the information.