Tinatin Khidasheli

Tinatin “Tina” Khidasheli serves as a chairperson for a Georgian think tank, Civic IDEA. Previously, she was Minister of Defense for the country of Georgia, the first woman in that post. She also previously served as a member of the Georgian Parliament. In 2010 she was elected to and served on the City Council in Tbilisi, Georgia and as a member of the Budget Committee. As one of the leaders of the opposition Republican Party, she strove to eradicate state corruption in Georgia, while fighting for human rights, democratic reforms and respect for the constitution and laws of Georgia. She was involved in numerous independent anti-corruption investigation projects, supporting journalists and NGOs in information gathering, disclosure and reporting. Previously, as president of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, Tina played an important role in observing parliamentary elections, uncovering electoral fraud, creating dispute-resolution programs, and lobbying for the creation of state-run legal aid services for the poor and disenfranchised.