On May 3, there was held a mock trial at Rustavi public school #28. The persecution was represented by the Legal Aid Service Administration, while the defendant party was composed of the attorneys from Tbilisi Legal Aid Bureau.
The indictment was considered by the "Jury" in the case of the premeditated murder. The "jurors" were mainly 10th and 11th graders of the school.
They listened intently to both sides, asked questions, discussed much of the evidence presented by the prosecution, and finally, despite differences of opinion, reached a verdict of acquittal. The vast majority of the school children pointed out that they had attended the trial for the first time. The current case proved to be very interesting for them as the students gained a lot of experience by participating in the discussion.
Consequently, if ever given the possibility to participate in a real jury trial, the present experience will be very helpful for the attendees.
It should be noted that the mock trial of jurors, in which the judges and the audience have to be the population of different regions, aims at raising the legal awareness of the population. It potentially prepares them for real participation in the jury trials.
The event was carried out within the framework of the Legal Awareness Raising Information Campaign by the Legal Aid Service - "Make the Law Accessible to All" under the egis of the "Know Your Right Under 18" movement.