Georgia's Public Defender is ready to testify in the case of the October storming of the presidential palace

Georgia's Human Rights Commissioner, Levan Ioseliani, stated that he could easily become a "star" of one or more opposition political forces or NGOs, in which case he would repeat or amplify their assessments, but that this is not the Public Defender's role. He emphasized that his position does not entail defending any specific group or disseminating its narratives.

According to Ioseliani, the Georgian public sees the Ombudsman making strict assessments when excessive force is used against protesters, while also objectively assessing cases where demonstrators themselves violate the rights to peaceful assembly and expression. This is precisely why, the Public Defender noted, his positions are "often extremely unacceptable to both sides."

Commenting on the events of October 4—the attempted storming of the presidential palace—the Public Defender noted that he was prepared to testify about his conversation with Paata Manjgaladze, one of the defendants in the case, but was denied the opportunity. Ioseliani said he called the activist when he saw people breaking into the presidential residence, as he understood the potential legal consequences.

"I told him that the actions and calls the organizers made to the protesters were completely unacceptable and that this process must be stopped. Paata agreed with me, saying he fully shared my position and that such a thing could not have happened. He said he did everything he could to stop this process. This is something I planned to mention in court, and I am prepared to do so today. If the court deems this episode of my conversation with Paata Manjgaladze relevant to the case, I am ready to testify accordingly," the Public Defender stated.

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