Transparency International Georgia has filed another application with the European Court of Human Rights. The organisation will represent and defend the violated rights of civil activist Tamar (Tatia) Mekvabishvili before the Strasbourg Court.

“A court controlled by Ivanishvili and the clan of judges found Tamar Mekvabishvili guilty of an administrative offence for participating in a peaceful protest on the pavement in front of the Parliament building and sentenced her to two days of administrative detention.

As in all other similar cases, the decisions of both the first-instance and appellate courts are in clear contradiction with the rights to freedom of assembly and expression, respect for private life, and a fair trial, as guaranteed by the Constitution of Georgia and the European Convention on Human Rights. They also contradict the facts clearly captured in the video footage included in the case file, which shows that the protesters gathered on the pavement in front of Parliament—including Tamar Mekvabishvili—were not obstructing anyone's movement.

We will continue defending citizens whose rights have been violated before international judicial bodies, because seeking justice in the national courts is impossible under the Ivanishvili regime”, the organization says in its statement.