Gedevan Popkhadze met with Giorgi Mdinaradze. The meeting was attended by the head of Legal Aid Service, Meliton Benidze. The parties spoke about assault of the lawyer in police department.

As G. Popkhadze stated, the meeting followed the speech by the Chair of the Committee, Eka Beselia at the plenary, expressing the common position about this fact.

Eka Beselia: “Against the background when Georgia obtains high evaluation for ongoing reforms, the fact of assault on the lawyer requires immediate and unbiased investigation monitored by the Committee”.

G. Popkhadze once more confirmed that the fact is inadmissible and protection of lawyers is strategically important for the state. “We deal with not only human protection problem to whom the violence has been imposed. The lawyer is the profession, purposed to provide effective protection of human rights and if the lawyer himself/herself is not protected, than it would be impossible to speak about human rights in general. Such fact creates the gross problem and the political message to the society will significantly depend on response thereto. If all the offenders are punished, if the investigation is unbiased and immediate with the relevant legal outcome, then the state will successfully pass the test. In case of questions remaining, it would be a challenge for us. So, we shall not create an illusion that anyone can assault the lawyer without being punished. It would be a good precedent and example by the state to everyone”.

The accurate political evaluation to this fact shall be made to find the truth in order to prevent others commit the same. “Parliamentary support is very important for us and we expect correct response to this fact”, - G. Mdinaradze stated.