Region: Georgia, Central Asia

Main Areas Of Interest: Torture rehabilitation, conflict resolution

Fellowship Period: February -April 2007

Keywords: peace-building, psychosocial support

Biographical Profile:
Lela Tsiskarishvili graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the Tbilisi State University. Lela is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Social Psychology, with emphasis on public perceptions of torture, including bringing torturers to justice, providing assistance to victims, and raising public awareness. Her interests in these issues were determined in 1996, when she participated in an international program for adolescents from conflict zones at the same time she commenced her studies.

In 1998 she worked as an interpreter at the Foundation for the Development of Human Resources in Tbilisi, which provides programs of psycho-social rehabilitation for internally displaced persons, folk diplomacy and peace building. In 2000-2002 she was a deputy editor of a magazine “Peace Times”, which was published by the International Center of Conflicts and Negotiations in PLACE. The main aim of the journal was to focus public opinion around the issues of peaceful conflict resolution and tolerance building.

Since 2000, Lela has worked in the Georgian Center for Psychosocial and Medical Rehabilitation of Torture Victims and is Executive Director and provides psychosocial assistance to victims of torture and violence.