Web Portal on Human Rights in Georgia

On June 22-24 delegation of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court conducted a visit in Georgia. The main purpose of the visit was to gather additional information from the Georgian authorities on the on-going national investigation into crimes allegedly committed in the context of the August 2008 armed conflict in South Ossetia, Georgia.

According to the draft-amendments to the general administrative code, the state will have right to keep the information about the cases discussed at international courts and courts of foreign states in secret. The prohibition will work for the European Court of Human Rights and Hague Tribunal. Political party of Irakli Alasania “Our Georgia – Free Democrats” speaks about violation of the European Convection on Human Rights. What are the arguments of the project authors?

Member of the Ossetian Association in Georgia Giorgi Khetaguri disappeared for three years. He was detained on October 29, 2006 but the law enforcement bodies did not inform anybody about it. The society received complete information only after Giorgi Khetaguri served the complete sentence. Khetaguri, convicted for the purchase and usage of narcotics, said that he was sent to prison on political grounds. The law enforcement officers wanted to compel him to be their informer on the Ossetian side.

Attorney of Vakhtang Maisaia – military expert accused in espionage – Natia Korkotadze reported to the journalists at the press-conference on June 18 that her client has still been under physical and moral oppression. On June 6, Vakhtang Maisaia was beaten by his cell-mate Paladi Birkaia after what the military expert was blamed in the incident and he was placed in the punishment cell for ten days. Prison administration put Paladi Birkaia in the punishment cell only for three days.

More and more appeals are sent to the European Court of Human Rights from Georgia year by year. Particularly a large number of appeals were sent in 2008-2009. The Human Rights Center assists people to protect their rights at the European Court of Human Rights for free.

Protest demonstration of the workers of Kutaisi Metallurgic Factory ended with the detention of 7 people last week. The strikers protested against the poor conditions in the enterprise and against salary arrears; they refused to enter the factory and to continue working.

Tbilisi Appeal Court decided on the arguments about the results of the polling station in Variani village, Gori district in favor of the election administration. More precisely, they did not change the judgment of the judge of the Gori district court and former district prosecutor Nikoloz Marsagishvili. The court was discussing the suit of the observer of the Human Rights Center. In fact, within the limited 4 days, the court demanded the observer to preserve all procedures which are necessary for huge cases prolonged for many years. Instead, they did not envisage the violations which were observed during the counting of votes at the PS.