The silent lawyers – betrayal of the rule of law

There was a time in Georgia when legal practitioners, lawyers, and human rights defenders dared to raise their voices. Under President Mikheil Saakashvili , human rights violations were publicly denounced, torture scandals were fueled, and lawyers took to the streets with banners. Those who remained silent back then were considered followers. Today, however, we are witnessing a grotesque reversal: the very loudest critics of the past have fallen silent , even though the human rights situation is far more dire.

From the prison scandal in 2012 to silence today

Let's remember September 2012: Shocking videos showed the mistreatment, humiliation, and torture of prisoners in Tbilisi. For days, people, including many lawyers, protested against the Saakashvili regime. Resignations, promises of reform, international outrage – the pressure was enormous. Back then, it was clear: the rule of law does not mean silently accepting abuse.

Fast-forward to today: Under the rule of oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, the human rights situation has not improved, but rather worsened. This was particularly evident in November and December 2024 , when the government cracked down on pro-European demonstrations with brutal force.

Police used tear gas, batons, and water cannons; hundreds of peaceful demonstrators were arrested. The Georgian Ombudsman reported systematic blows to the head and face —deliberately inflicted as punishment. Amnesty International documented torture, ill-treatment, broken bones, bruises, withheld medical care, and forced confessions during these weeks. One detainee described how many of those arrested were " covered in blood "; several suffered severe head injuries. To date, not a single police officer has been prosecuted for these crimes .

And what does the legal profession say about this? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

David Asatiani – from President of the Bar Association to “lapdog”

The Georgian Bar Association should actually be the first institution to call out human rights violations by their name. But its chairman , David Asatiani , remains silent. Not a word about the police excesses of 2024, not a word about political persecution. Instead, he pursues a career on the international stage: President of the European Bar Association. In Brussels, he plays the role of an independent lawyer – in Tbilisi, he provides the regime with the fig leaf it so desperately needs.

His handling of a scandal in 2018 was particularly revealing, when a secretly recorded tape was made public. In it, Asatiani allegedly suggested to the oligarch-friendly Omega Group boss Zaza Okuashvili that he retract critical statements against Bidzina Ivanishvili and instead target Mikheil Saakashvili and Nika Gvaramia . In return, the allegations alleged, the company's enormous debts would be written off and state confiscations would be lifted.

Asatiani, of course, denied this, stating on Facebook that he could "not comment on illegal, manipulated recordings of professional conversations." At the same time, he emphasized his "lifelong obligation to maintain professional secrecy"—a classy way of remaining silent. He pointed out that he had been a lawyer for the Omega Group for 17 years and had always acted "in the best interest of the client."

But this reference to "confidentiality" seems more like a smokescreen: The fact remains that a president of the Bar Association who is embroiled in scandals involving oligarchic friendships and political deals can hardly credibly advocate for the rule of law. Against this backdrop, his silence on torture and repression seems less like a coincidence than a systematic part of his role—a lapdog of Ivanishvili who elevates silence to the highest virtue .

Irakli Kandashvili – the next lackey?

And now Irakli Kandashvili enters the stage, chairman of the Mediators' Association and aspirant to Asatiani's position. Anyone who expected Kandashvili to bring a breath of fresh air as a "reformer" is mistaken. From him, too: not a single word about torture, abuse, or the erosion of the rule of law. A man who prefers to portray himself as a serious European while ignoring the suffering of his own people at home. The logical continuation of the Asatiani system—only with a new face.

Parallels to the Nazi lawyers – silence as complicity

Anyone who believes silence is harmless or neutral is mistaken. History teaches us the opposite. In Nazi Germany, it wasn't just the Gestapo that destroyed the rule of law. It was also the countless judges, lawyers, and professors who remained silent, turned a blind eye, or willingly served the regime . They lent the dictatorship a veneer of legality and thus made themselves accomplices.

This exact pattern is repeating itself in Georgia today: David Asatiani and Irakli Kandashvili are not torturers, but they are the quiet lawyers who, through their silence and their careers abroad, create the impression that the rule of law still functions in Georgia. In reality, they are thereby propping up an authoritarian system.

Just as the Nazi jurists later tried to excuse themselves with the excuse of "command and obedience," Asatiani and Kandashvili today consciously choose the path of career over courage . They allow themselves to be harnessed by an oligarch to maintain the facade of a constitutional state , while torture, intimidation, and authoritarian power reign behind the scenes.

The silent lawyers – betrayal of the rule of law

The real traitors to Georgian democracy are not only those who issue orders for violence. They are also those who, through their silence, provide complicity . Lawyers who once saw themselves as moral authorities are now becoming accomplices of the oligarch. The price? Positions, titles, international invitations.

Message to our international partners

This text is a warning to the EU, the Council of Europe, and international bar associations : Do not be fooled by Ivanishvili's "lawyers." Behind the suits and titles lie silent servants of an authoritarian system that is destroying democracy, the rule of law, and European values. Any cooperation with these figures means nothing less than collaboration with the oligarch and his Russian agenda .

Georgian society demands clarity: No platform for the oligarch's lapdogs. No legitimization of their careers by Western partners.

Our editorial team will continue to document every case in which international institutions collaborate with these lackeys . We will name names, expose structures, and tear away the veil of hypocrisy.

Because: Those who remain silent about torture today are complicit tomorrow.