Non-governmental organizations report, that there is pressure on those civil servants who publicly condemned the change of the state's course and the decision to suspend the process of joining the European Union until 2028.
At today's joint briefing, non-governmental organizations called on relevant agencies to act within the constitutional framework and ensure full protection of civil servants' rights.
In addition, they are ready to provide free legal assistance to civil servants who have been dismissed illegally and on alleged political grounds due to discrimination due to political or different views.
"We would like to respond to the statement made by Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze on December 1, 2024 regarding the start of the reorganization process in the City Hall. The announcement of the reorganization process by the mayor of Tbilisi was preceded by a statement made by a part of the employees of the mayor's office regarding the suspension of the process of joining the European Union of "Georgian Dream". Employees of the City Hall have clearly and unequivocally separated themselves from the decision to suspend Georgia's EU accession process until 2028. The above-mentioned statement states that the decision of "Georgian Dream" is not in line with the goal declared by the population of Georgia and the essence of Article 78 of the Constitution. In addition, in order to support the European integration process of the country, hundreds of employees of various ministries and budget agencies issued a statement. According to reports, after the publication of the mentioned statements, pressure is being put on those civil servants who publicly condemned the public statements made regarding the change of the state's course. In accordance with Article 78 of the Constitution of Georgia, the constitutional bodies must take all measures within their powers to ensure the full integration of Georgia into the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The mentioned constitutional norm obliges civil servants, among others, to take effective steps to promote the European integration process of Georgia. The efforts of any public servant, including statements made by him, in order to enforce Article 78 of the Constitution shall not be grounds for restriction of his freedom of expression or prosecution for political opinions. Forcing a person to write a statement about dismissal from work on his own initiative is a crime under Article 169 of the Criminal Code of Georgia. It is noteworthy that the reorganization announced in the City Hall may be used as a tool against those civil servants who express their position on the European future of the country and disagree with the decisions made by "Georgian Dream" against the constitutional order. We believe that any structural changes planned in the City Hall should be carried out transparently, in full compliance with the law and the labor rights of civil servants, in accordance with the basic principles of reorganization. We call on relevant agencies to act within the constitutional framework and ensure full protection of civil servants' rights. It is not allowed to persecute public servants and put pressure on them because of different political views. The signatory organizations of the statement express our readiness to provide free legal assistance to civil servants who have been fired illegally and on alleged political grounds due to discrimination due to political or different views", - it is stated in the statement signed by the "International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy", "Association of Young Lawyers of Georgia" and "Transparency International Georgia".
