Tbilisi. At the March 26 session of the High Council of Justice (HCOJ), judge-member Sergo Metopishvili announced that he plans to put forward an initiative for closing the HCOJ sessions to the public on the official agenda.

''We believe the judge-member’s initiative contradicts both the law and the principles of democratic governance. Such initiatives can only be damaging to the transparency of the HCOJ’s work, the possibility of voicing dissent at the HCOJ, and the reputation of the judiciary.

We call on the High Council of Justice to adequately assess the damaging effects of Judge Sergo Metopishvili’s initiative on judicial independence, trust towards and reputation of the judiciary, and principles of democratic governance. We call on the HCOJ to publicly affirm its respect to the fundamental principles of law and preclude any encroachment on them'', is noted in the statement.

Source: www.transparency.ge