Public Defender submits opinion in opposition leader Manjgaladze’s case

Georgia’s Public Defender has submitted an amicus curiae opinion to Tbilisi City Court in the case of Paata Manjgaladze, raising concerns over key human rights issues.

According to the Public Defender’s Office, the submission follows a review of case materials provided by the defence, which identified significant legal questions related to the charges.

Manjgaladze has been accused of organising group violence. However, the Public Defender noted that it remains unclear what specific actions the defendant is alleged to have carried out. The statement added that, similar to several others in the case, he had been identified as one of the organisers of a protest, rather than as an organiser of violent acts.

The office also pointed to an apparent lack of evidence indicating that Manjgaladze called for violence or issued instructions related to it. It further noted the absence of proof of any coordinated plan, role distribution, or agreement with others accused of organising group violence.

In its submission, the Public Defender reviewed the principle of legality as guaranteed by the Georgian constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as relevant interpretations by the Supreme Court of Georgia and established legal scholarship.

The document emphasised that, under criminal law, establishing liability in such cases requires clear evidence of a joint plan, a shared objective, and defined roles among participants, carried out with direct intent. Without clarifying these elements, the imposition of criminal responsibility would not be legally justified, the statement said.

The Public Defender expressed hope that the legal arguments presented would assist the court in reaching its decision, adding that careful judicial reasoning on these issues would have implications both for the protection of individual rights and for the development of future court practice.