‘Republicans’ Protest against Changes to the Criminal Code

‘Republicans’ Protest against Changes to the Criminal Code

Tbilisi, 14.04.2006, ‘Media News’ – According to the Parliamentary group the ‘Democratic Front’ and members of the ‘Republican Party’, the changes to be made to the Criminal Code of Georgia minimizes the role of attorneys and narrows the freedom of the judiciary.

As the representative of the ‘Republican Party’, Tinatin Khidasheli, said in a press-conference, held in Parliament: the present government proposed 627 changes to the criminal code, a number which was reduced to 172.

According to Khidasheli, the latest version of the proposed changes is the most unaffordable. “According to the legal proposals, if an attorney is late to a hearing, the court will appoint a defender for the accused person. This defender should then be involved in the whole case. It is possible that this appointed defender may even inform the General Prosecutor’s Office about their knowledge regarding the case.”

Khidasheli also opposes the article which states that the court has the right to discuss mediation without the participation of either side. Interested parties will be informed about final decision by post.

The ‘Republican Party’ says that lawyers are concerned about the changes and are going to boycott court hearings.

A member of the ‘Democratic Front’, Temur Nergadze, says that the proposed changes to the law have not been agreed by the Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee and passing them to the Parliament is a violation of the law.