Levan Ramishvili ( Georgian: ლევან რამიშვილი) is a Georgian

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

, sociologist,

publicist A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a company, a brand, or public figure – especially a celebrity – or for work or a project such as a book, film, or album. Publicists are public relations specialists wh ...

and a key figure in the

Liberty Institute First Liberty Institute is a nonprofit Christian Christian conservative legal organizationHenry FarrellThese are the conservative legal groups behind the Masterpiece Cakeshop case ''Washington Post'' (December 5, 2017). based in Plano, Texas. ...

, an organization known for its work in promoting civil liberties, democratic reforms, and human rights in Georgia.

Life and career

For several decades, Levan Ramishvili has been an influential

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

, analyst, and activist, playing a pivotal role in the liberal transformation of Georgia. He was a key figure in the country's democracy movement, which successfully used strategic nonviolent action to force the resignation of authoritarian leader

Eduard Shevardnadze Eduard Ambrosis dze Shevardnadze ( ka, ედუარდ ამბროსის ძე შევარდნაძე; 25 January 1928 – 7 July 2014) was a Soviet and Georgian politician and diplomat who governed Georgia (country), Georgi ...

during the

Rose Revolution The Rose Revolution or Revolution of Roses ( ka, ვარდების რევოლუცია, tr) was a nonviolent change of power that occurred in Georgia in November 2003. The event was brought about by widespread protests over the ...

. Since 1996, Ramishvili has been one of the founders and the director of the

, a Georgian organization dedicated to human rights and public interest advocacy. In 1992 he got involved with the ''Center of Social Management'' at the Cabinet of Ministries. In 1994 he was appointed as a chair of the division of sociology at the International Center for Federal Development of Georgia. He was actively engaged in journalistic work working as a co-editor for newspaper ''Mimomkhilveli'' in 1992, co-editor with newspapers: ''Business Courier'' (international politics, world economy) 1994 and ''Argumenti'' (International reporting, letters to editor) 1995 and 1996. In 1996 and 1997 he worked as a political analyst with the independent TV Channel

Rustavi 2 Rustavi 2 ( ka, რუსთავი 2, tr, "Rustavi ori") is a Georgian free-to-air television channel based in Tbilisi, that was founded in 1994 in the town of Rustavi (hence its name). It is an associate member of the European Broadcasting ...

. He is a long-time civil liberties activist, and became involved in civil liberties battles in 1991 as an active member of the student movement for Georgia's Liberation. Later in 1992 he was actively campaigning against the

nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

government of

Zviad Gamsakhurdia Zviad Konstantines dze Gamsakhurdia ( ka, ზვიად კონსტანტინეს ძე გამსახურდია; ; 31 March 1939 – 31 December 1993) was a Georgian politician, human rights activist, dissident, profes ...

. He was actively involved in trainings for civil activists, and in 2003, trained

Kmara Kmara ( ka, კმარა, ) was a civic youth resistance movement in Georgia, active in the protests prior to and during the November 2003 Rose Revolution, which toppled down the government of Eduard Shevardnadze. Consciously modeled on the Serb ...

activists in nonviolent campaigning techniques. He is author of the country's ''Freedom of Information Law'', the law on Freedom of Speech and Expression, law on Broadcasting, student's rights and academic freedom chapter in laws on General Education and Higher Education. Since 2010, Ramishvili has taught various courses in

philosophy of law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

constitutional law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in ...

political theory Political philosophy studies the theoretical and conceptual foundations of politics. It examines the nature, scope, and legitimacy of political institutions, such as states. This field investigates different forms of government, ranging from d ...

, and

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

at Free university of Tbilisi and

Ilia State University Ilia State University ISU ( ka, ილიას სახელმწიფო უნივერსიტეტი) is a public university in Tbilisi, Georgia that was founded in 2006 as a result of a merger of six different academic institution ...

. He has served as the chairman of the board of the Liberty Institute since 1996, an organization dedicated to promoting law and freedom through research and advocacy. Since 2010, Ramishvili has also been the editor of the news and analysis media outlet Tabula. He is the author of numerous laws, including those related to

freedom of speech and expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recognise ...

, broadcasting, jury trials in the Criminal Procedure Code, freedom of information in the General Administrative Code, non-commercial legal entities in the Civil Code, rights of pupils, parents, and teachers in the General Education Law, and patient rights. Over the years, Ramishvili has held various roles, including

newspaper columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the form of a short essay ...

, editor of Business Courier and Argument, sociologist at the Social Management Center of the government, head of the Department of the Center for the Development of Federalism, and member of the State Constitutional Commission. In November 2023, Levan Ramishvili became an associate professor at Free University of Tbilisi.

External links

Hugh Pope, The Wall Street Journal: Pro-West leaders in Georgia push Shevardnadze outGiga Bokeria, Givi Targamadze, Levan Ramishvili: Georgian Media in the 90s: A step to liberty, 1997 (PDF file)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramishvili, Levan Politicians from Georgia (country) 1973 births Living people