The Public Defender considers reasonable the decision of Zviad Devdariani to withdraw his candidacy from the Board of Trustees of the GPB.

Nino Lomjaria has addressed the appeal of the Women"s Movement. Women"s Movement accuses Zviad Devdariani of sexual harassment.

"As the Public Defender stated during the nomination of the candidate, the main criteria for making decision were independence, experience, motivation and professional qualification of the candidate, which is a priority for the Public Defender, considering the current challenges in the GPB Board of Trustees. In addition, the Public Defender notes that she was not aware of possible sexual harassment mentioned in the statement and became known after the nmoination of the candidate.

"Although these facts are not legally confirmed at this stage, the Public Defender considers reasonable the candidate"s decision to remove the candidacy from the Board of Trustees of the Public Broadcaster.

"This case shows that it is necessary to have an effective mechanism to regulate sexual harassment, which would allow the parties to pursue their rights and I call on the Parliament, to adopt in a timely manner the sexual harassment regulation legislation . At the same time, the public defender declares readiness to meet directly with the parties And withinher mandate to ensure the protection of their rights, "- says the statement of the Ombudsman.