On August 2, 2011, a group of lawyers held a protest in front of the European Union office in Tbilisi, demanding that the EU take responsibility for ensuring compliance with Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights — the right to a fair trial — in Georgia. The lawyers stated that the authorities were continuously pressuring the legal profession and obstructing their ability to practice freely.

Around twenty lawyers gathered at noon outside the EU office on Nino Chkheidze Street. They wore white T-shirts with red English lettering that read, “Protect Lawyers From the Regime of Saakashvili,” and had plastic handcuffs on their wrists. The protestors sought to deliver their message directly to the head of the EU Delegation to Georgia, Philip Dimitrov.

The demonstration was triggered by an incident in Batumi on July 28. The Batumi City Court sentenced lawyer Ramin Papidze to 10 days of administrative detention after accusing him of arguing with a court bailiff. Papidze, who called the decision unlawful, began a hunger strike in protest while held at the temporary detention center in Batumi.

The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, had previously raised concerns about the situation in Georgia’s judicial system, noting that lawyers often faced intimidation, unlawful prosecution, and other forms of pressure that hindered their ability to perform their professional duties and undermined the right to defense.

However, representatives of the judiciary painted a different picture. Giorgi Shavliashvili, a Supreme Court judge and member of the High Council of Justice, stated in a recent forum on judicial reform and transparency that significant progress had been made and the reforms were being implemented successfully.