Public Defender to Submit Neutral Legal Opinion to Constitutional Court in Opposition Party Ban Case
By Messenger Staff
Monday, November 2, 2026
Georgia's Public Defender Levan Ioseliani will submit an amicus curiae, or friend-of-the-court opinion, to the Constitutional Court in the ongoing proceedings over a lawsuit seeking to ban opposition parties. He said the document would not support either the ruling Georgian Dream party or the opposition but would instead set out international legal standards relevant to the case.
Speaking on PalitraNews' programme 360 Degrees, Ioseliani explained that an amicus curiae opinion is intended to assist the court in reaching a decision by providing legal arguments, international standards and relevant judicial precedents.
"The document I am sending to the court will not be in favor of either the ruling party or the opposition. It will be a list of international standards, references to cases that the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has examined and which concerned similar issues, including the banning of political parties," he said.
Ioseliani said his assessment would be based on rulings of the European Court of Human Rights, as well as international law and general principles of law. He expressed confidence that these standards would help the court assess the case, although he acknowledged that judges were already familiar with many of the legal issues he intended to address.
He said he had been following the hearings and observed that arguments between the parties were largely political in nature, something he would not seek to assess in his capacity as Public Defender.
According to Ioseliani, judges have repeatedly attempted to steer the discussions back towards legal reasoning, which he said was essential to clarifying the issues before the court.
He described the proceedings as unprecedented in Georgia's recent history, arguing that the eventual ruling would have implications beyond the immediate case and would also affect the country's future political life.
Ioseliani said he still had time to prepare and submit his opinion, adding that no specific deadline was limiting his work. He stressed that his main responsibility was to ensure the court accepted the document and examined it carefully.
"It is important to me that the court accepts this document and reads it carefully. That is my task, and beyond that, I have no other task, given that this is entirely a matter of political debate," he said.
He reiterated that he intended to remain outside the political dispute and contribute only to its legal assessment.
Ioseliani declined to speculate about how the Constitutional Court would rule, despite predictions surrounding the case. He said he could not say in advance what the decision would be but expressed confidence that the court's ruling would be significant.
