The Public Defender echoes the information publicly released by Reformer Fitness LLC and states that discrimination on any grounds is prohibited in Georgia, and the Public Defender of Georgia, as the institution supervising the elimination of discrimination, will examine the applications of all persons who consider themselves victims of discrimination. In addition, in the process of fully examining the case, the Office will provide information to the respondent and request relevant information.

The principle of non-discrimination also applies to private institutions that offer services to customers. The Anti-Discrimination Law clearly explains that the principle of equal treatment applies to the provision of publicly available goods and services.

In addition, it is noteworthy that as a result of the Association Agreement concluded with the European Union in 2014, the Parliament of Georgia adopted the Law of Georgia on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination, which represents a consolidated mechanism for the legislative implementation of the principle of non-discrimination enshrined in Article 11 of the Constitution, and the function of eliminating and supervising discrimination is assigned to the Public Defender of Georgia by law.

It was within the framework of standard proceedings that we requested information and a response from Reformer Fitness LLC, which is crucial for assessing the alleged discrimination and for a comprehensive study of the case. The public statement released by the company serves personal purposes, speculates on a particularly painful issue for everyone - the occupation of Georgia, and at the same time spreads a false narrative with the aim of discrediting the Public Defender and his office.

Once again, we would like to clarify that the Public Defender of Georgia is not only authorized, but also obliged to examine any application received by the Public Defender's Office, and presenting the issue in such a way that the Public Defender should not react to applications from citizens of certain countries, including the Russian Federation, is contrary to both international and domestic legislation, the principle of equality and the rule of law.

The Public Defender will continue to examine and respond to applications regarding discrimination, regardless of the citizenship and nationality of the applicant.