Web Portal on Human Rights in Georgia

15 May Tbilisi City Court did not satisfy the appeal of the Prosecutor’s Office on imprisonment of the First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Gela Khvedelidze.  The accused has been obliged to pay bail of GEL 5000.

May 13 issue of the Rezonansi newspaper relates regarding the ongoing dispute between the journalists of the newspaper and the CEC. The article as well remarks that the DEC of Nadzaladevi district and CEC haven’t granted the application of the journalists. The journalists on their part demand making up of administrative offence protocol regarding the people that had interfered with the correspondents hampering their professional activity and insulted them during the interim elections of April 27.

In order to study Lapankuri Special Operation case Public Defender met with Chechen refugees and representatives of Chechen Diaspora throughout Europe who confirmed the accuracy of information provided in 2012 Parliamentary Report of Public Defender of Georgia.

First Deputy Interior Minister, Gela Khvedelidze, has been arrested and charged with breach of privacy in connection to the case involving leak of a secretly recorded threesome sex video, which purportedly featured a man who has recently been fiercely criticizing some senior officials, including Khvedelidze.

According to the statement of Chairman of Parliament of Georgia David Usupashvili, by May 2013, a constitutional commission is to  be established which will be composed of political party representatives, experts and NGOs.

While Georgian Dream parliamentary (GD) majority is determined to override presidential veto on judicial council bill, it has yet to be seen how it will act in respect of another vetoed bill related to restricting defendant’s right in choosing between trial by jury or a judge.

Substantial discussion of Davit Adeishvili’s case at the Telavi district court is underway; Davit Adeishvili is brother of Zurab Adeishvili, former Minister of Justice of Georgia. At the trial on April 30, prosecutor introduced victim Ioseb Gotsiridze as a witness. The latter said that he and his colleagues were intimidated by Davit Adeishvili who compelled them to cancel purchase of Telavi agricultural market.

Expert of Levan Samkharauli National Forensic Medical Expertise Paata Jibladze was questioned about the episode where former head of MIA General Inspection Tengiz Gunava is accused of having wounded his driver Kakhaber Izoria.

On April 19, Court accepted medical conclusion from the expertise of officer Sergo Tetradze’s body as evidence. Several former senior officials of the penitentiary department and former head of military police Megis Kardava are accused of Tetradze’s death.

By midday on February 18, 2013 an explosion occurred in front of the Kaspi police office. At about 6:00 pm police arrested Davit Gabodze, 29, walking in the street. Handcuffed suspect told journalists gathered in front of the police office that he had no idea what he was arrested for. Several hours later, he was accused of the participation in the explosion of that day.

At the March 19 briefing Georgian Minister of Interior Irakli Garibashvili stated that about 150 of the amnestied people under the Amnesty Law of December, 2012 were repeatedly arrested. A month later, Sozar Subari, Minister of Legal Aid and Corrections, increased the number up to 200.