On December 15, 2015, a protest was held in front of the building of Georgia’s High Council of Justice. Members of the Georgian Bar Association, joined by representatives of NGOs united under the Coalition for an Independent and Transparent Judiciary, gathered with banners to protest the participation of Levan Murusidze, the Council’s secretary, in a judicial selection competition. Murusidze, whose ten-year term as a Supreme Court judge was set to expire in April 2016, was seeking appointment to the Court of Appeals.

Levan Murusidze’s name is closely associated with two highly controversial cases in Georgia’s recent history: the reduction of sentences for those convicted in the murder of Sandro Girgvliani and the conviction of former Public Defender Sulkhan Molashvili.

Protesters displayed banners reading: “No to obedient judges,” “Justice without a grey cardinal,” and “Remove Murusidze.” Zaza Khatiashvili, head of the Georgian Bar Association, stated that Levan Murusidze had become a key instrument of injustice within Georgia’s judiciary.

The small-scale protest did not lead to any change. On December 25, 2015, members of the High Council of Justice elected Levan Murusidze as a judge of the Court of Appeals. Out of 14 council members, 10 voted in favor of his candidacy.