Thea Tsulukiani ( ka, თეა წულუკიანი; born 21 January 1975) is a Georgian politician who is currently serving as
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...
and
Minister of Culture, Sport and Youth of Georgia. She previously served as Minister of Justice from October 2012 to October 2020. Prior to her ministerial roles, she ran as a candidate for the
Free Democrats (Georgia)
Free Democrats ( ka, თავისუფალი დემოკრატები, tr), previously known as Our Georgia – Free Democrats is a liberal and pro-Western political party in Georgia. It was founded by Irakli Alasania, Georgi ...
, and was elected as Member of Parliament for Nazaladevi, a single- mandate constituency of the capital, with 72% of the vote. She resigned on 29 September 2020, effective 1 October. Since December, 2020 she is a member of Parliament of Georgia.
Tsulukiani has 10 years of experience as a lawyer at the
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court hears applications alleging that a co ...
in Strasbourg (ECHR) where at the same time she served as a member of the Committee for Rules of Court and as a rapporteur on the cases examined by single-judge compositions.
Tsulukiani holds MPA degree from École Nationale d'Administration (ENA) in France (Averroès 1998-2000). She also holds the degree in international law and international relations and a diploma from the Academy of Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.
From 2012 until 2020, Tsulukiani served as the Minister of Justice. She was the chairperson of 8 Inter-agency Councils in the Government of Georgia, among them the Criminal Justice Reform Council, the Anti-corruption Council, the Anti-drug, Anti-torture and Anti-trafficking Councils as well as the State Commission on Migration Issues and the Inter-agency Commission for Free and Fair Elections. Under her tenure, the court system in Georgia underwent several waves of reform.
Her critics have argued that Tsulukiani during this time empowered a clan of judges, to ensure that courts return politically favourable decisions.
In March 2021, Tsulukiani was appointed Minister of Culture and Deputy PM.
During her tenure, there have been widespread criticisms that Tsulukiani has removed experienced cultural managers, and instead appointed political loyalists, across the film, literature, music and museum sectors.
References
External links
Meeting with French media representatives (11.12.2012)
* ttp://neurope.eu/article/georgia-bringing-deep-democracy/ Justice minister pledges freedom from political interference (20.09.2013)br>Minister of Justice on BBC (29.10.2013)
* ttp://www.mediamax.am/en/news/interviews/14612/ Tea Tsulukiani: EEU doesn’t hinder Armenia-Georgia friendship (24.06. 2015)br>Changing Georgia in a Changing EuropeWhy Georgia prioritises co-creation of public services
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsulukiani, Thea
1975 births
Living people
Lawyers from Tbilisi
Georgian Dream politicians
Free Democrats (Georgia) politicians
Politicians from Tbilisi
Deputy prime ministers of Georgia
Government ministers of Georgia (country)
Tbilisi State University alumni
École nationale d'administration alumni
Women lawyers from Georgia (country)
Women government ministers of Georgia (country)
21st-century women politicians from Georgia (country)
Female justice ministers
Justice ministers of Georgia
21st-century lawyers from Georgia (country)
21st-century women lawyers from Georgia (country)