Today President Mikheil Saakashvili met with 13 newly appointed judges introduced by the Supreme Council of Justice.

President Saakashvili was satisfied with the fact that all the judges were selected without any patronage, corruption and with objective criteria.

The President said that after the Rose Revolution human rights violations still persisted in the country though there were no records of it in the last several months.

The President underlined that by the end of the year the minimum monthly salary of a judge would be 800 dollars, while more senior judges would get at least 2,000 dollars.

President Saakashvili talked about the success of the police force stressing that the protection of human rights is the basic responsibility of the judges. According to the President there will be no slackening in the fight against corruption in Georgia as long as he remains president of the country. "I have made many enemies in my fight against corruption. But I am not afraid to have them. The principle I pursue is the rule of law," President Saakashvili said.

The President particularly emphasized the cases of taking bribes stressing that everyone would be punished accordingly.

"A corrupt government can never call its low rank official to account. We can persecute and call such people to account only in case if we are not involved in dirty activities," President Saakashvili said stressing that the public have learned to observe law and protect their rights and honors. "During the revolution the public taught the government what does its control over the government means and continues to teach it every day until it guesses that the government completely depends on its society," he said

President Saakashvili expressed his hope that the Georgian society would live in the country were justice prevails. "If such society is built, our children and our grandchildren will be happy. We must not miss such an opportunity. I count on the support of our society. This is the society that will unite Georgia".

Communications Office
of the President of Georgia