Shota Siradze, the father of Vazha Siradze, the director of the patrol police department, is one of the judges reviewing the complaints filed by the Georgian Young Lawyers Association and the coalition of monitoring organizations My Vote regarding the annulment of the election precinct results at the Kutaisi Court of Appeal.
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At the beginning of the session, the claimant requested the dismissal of Shota Siradze on the grounds that he had held a position in the Khobi administration from 2012 to 2015 and had served as a deputy in the City Council, while currently his son is the director of the patrol police department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The plaintiff expressed "reasonable doubt" that this circumstance might affect the judge's impartiality. However, the request for avoidance was not granted. Judge Siradze himself stated that he was not a member of the Georgian Dream party and that he would have applied for self-recusal if there had been a relevant reason.
The Kutaisi Court of Appeals consolidated the appeals filed against the District Election Commissions located in Western Georgia into one case. The court is composed of judges Zaza Ramishvili (reporter), Khatuna Khomeriki, and Shota Siradze.
The trial has been ongoing since 16:00. Due to significant violations of vote secrecy, the Georgian Young Lawyers Association is demanding the annulment of the results from the districts where elections were conducted using technology. According to Nona Kurdovanidze, the chairman of GYLA, the court has attached the decision made by Tetritskaro district court judge Vladimer Khuchua to the case as evidence.
On November 4, Judge Vladimer Khuchua made a precedent-setting decision, unlike all other district courts. He confirmed the violation of vote secrecy and declared the electronic results of 30 election precincts in Tetritskaro and Tsalka invalid. The judge requested a counting machine, a ballot, a marker, and a framed envelope for the duration of the hearing. During the court session, a technical inspection was conducted, during which it was established that when ballots are placed in the machine, the choice made on the back side is visible.
