Thea Tsulukiani

Thea Tsulukiani
Thea Tsulukiani
თეა წულუკიანი
	Tsulukiani in 2017
Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 31 March 2021 Serving with Irakli Chikovani
Prime Minister	Irakli Garibashvili; Irakli Kobakhidze
Preceded by	Ivane Matchavariani
	In office; 13 September 2019 – 1 October 2020
Prime Minister	Giorgi Gakharia
Preceded by	Giorgi Gakharia
Succeeded by	Ivane Matchavariani
Minister of Culture, Sport and Youth
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 22 March 2021
Prime Minister	Irakli Garibashvili; Irakli Kobakhidze
Preceded by	office re-established
Minister of Justice
	In office; 25 October 2012 – 1 October 2020
Prime Minister	Bidzina Ivanishvili; Irakli Garibashvili; Giorgi Kvirikashvili; Mamuka Bakhtadze; Giorgi Gakharia
Preceded by	Zurab Adeishvili
Succeeded by	Gocha Lortkipanidze
Personal details
Born	21 January 1975 (age 49); Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
Political party	Georgian Dream (2014-present); Free Democrats (2010-2014)
Spouse	Nugzar Kakulia
Children	1 daughter
Alma mater	École nationale d'administration
Signature
Website	Ministry of Justice of Georgia

Thea Tsulukiani (Georgian: თეა წულუკიანი; born 21 January 1975) is a Georgian politician who is currently serving as Deputy Prime Minister 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), and was elected as Member of Parliament for Nazaladevi, a single- mandate constituency of the capital, with 72% of the vote.^[1] She resigned on 29 September 2020, effective 1 October.^[2] 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 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.^[3] Her critics have argued that Tsulukiani during this time empowered a clan of judges, to ensure that courts return politically favourable decisions.^[4]

In March 2021, Tsulukiani was appointed Minister of Culture and Deputy PM.^[5] 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.^[6]

References

^ Civil.ge (7 October 2012). "Media Reports on Ivanishvili's Possible Picks for Cabinet Posts". Retrieved 24 July 2017.
^ "Justice Minister Tsulukiani Resigns to Join Election Campaign". Civil.ge. 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
^ Imnadze, Guram (6 September 2021). "Waves of Judicial Reform That Cannot Reach the Shore | Heinrich Böll Stiftung | Tbilisi - South Caucasus Region". Heinrich Böll Stiftung Tbilisi. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
^ Nikoladze, Tatia (15 May 2023). "How the Georgian Judicial System Fell Under Western Sanctions". English Jamnews. Jam News. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
^ "Active, dismissed National Museum employees ask PM to stop Culture Minister's "destructive policy" in open letter". Agenda.ge. 8 June 2022. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022. In an open letter submitted by the recently formed Union of Science, Education and Culture Workers of Georgia, 130 professionals from the major museum network ask the PM to "take an interest" in the events that have resulted in lawsuits and public protests organised against dismissals of about 50 employees from various museums of the group since Tsulukiani's appointment in the spring of 2021.
^ "Explainer - Culture Ministry Saps Autonomy of Tbilisi State Conservatoire". civil.ge. Civil Georgia. 13 October 2023.

External links

[1] Civil.ge (7 October 2012). "Media Reports on Ivanishvili's Possible Picks for Cabinet Posts". Retrieved 24 July 2017.

[2] "Justice Minister Tsulukiani Resigns to Join Election Campaign". Civil.ge. 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2021-01-16.

[HBS-Courts-3] Imnadze, Guram (6 September 2021). "Waves of Judicial Reform That Cannot Reach the Shore | Heinrich Böll Stiftung | Tbilisi - South Caucasus Region". Heinrich Böll Stiftung Tbilisi. Retrieved 13 October 2023.

[JamNews_Courts-4] Nikoladze, Tatia (15 May 2023). "How the Georgian Judicial System Fell Under Western Sanctions". English Jamnews. Jam News. Retrieved 13 October 2023.

[5] "Active, dismissed National Museum employees ask PM to stop Culture Minister's "destructive policy" in open letter". Agenda.ge. 8 June 2022. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022. In an open letter submitted by the recently formed Union of Science, Education and Culture Workers of Georgia, 130 professionals from the major museum network ask the PM to "take an interest" in the events that have resulted in lawsuits and public protests organised against dismissals of about 50 employees from various museums of the group since Tsulukiani's appointment in the spring of 2021.

[CivilGE-Explainer-6] "Explainer - Culture Ministry Saps Autonomy of Tbilisi State Conservatoire". civil.ge. Civil Georgia. 13 October 2023.

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