Web Portal on Human Rights in Georgia
ARTICLES
2010-05-24
Opposition Parties Are Hindered in Pre-Election Campaign
In Kakheti region, opposition parties are hindered in
pre-election campaign. The election banner of the Alliance for Georgia
was destroyed in Kvareli; in Telavi, the posters of the National
Movement were pasted over the posters of the Alliance for Georgia.
Candidate for the membership of the parliament from the political party
“Tortladze- Democrat Party“ in Gurjaani district Levan Cholokashvili
said that he was not allowed to meet the doctors and teachers.
2010-05-21
“You Cannot Torment Svaneti Region!”
“You cannot torment Svaneti region!” this phrase is an
extract from a video-recording of the violent action of the officials
of the governmental and the ministry of internal affairs in Mestia on
May 3; the leaders of the opposition parties in Svaneti region
exclusively provided the presa.ge with the recording.
2010-05-21
Prosecutor’s Office Started Investigation on Fabricated Protocol Before the Elections
The prosecutor’s office started investigation on the
protocol, which was changed in an obscure situation; the election
commission of the district # 62 dismissed their members.
2010-05-20
Obama's Betrayal of Georgia Kind of Makes Sense
Leading into the office of Mikheil Saakashvili, the
president of Georgia, there is a room lined with more than a hundred
photographs. Bill Clinton is there, and so are John McCain, Condoleezza
Rice and, quite prominently, Richard Gere. Right beside the door, at
center stage, there's a shot of George W. Bush watching Saakashvili bend
down on the White House lawn and fondle his terrier, Barney. Taken
together, the room is like an ostentatious Rolodex put out on display, a
symbol of where Saakashvili has gotten his confidence. But there is no
one on those walls from the Obama administration, and after last week
it's little wonder why.
2010-05-20
Sen. McCain Criticizes Obama over Georgia
Republican Senator John McCain criticized the Obama
administration saying that support for liberty and human rights is
"mostly missing" from the U.S. foreign policy and as one of the
examples, among others, the Senator brought situation in Georgia
vis-à-vis Russia.
2010-05-20
Zurab Kharatishvili Suggested that the District Election Commission Leave State Buildings
In Shida Kartli region all
district election commissions are located in the administrative
buildings. Chairperson and members of the regional election commissions
can meet the governmental officials at any time because the district
administration and the election commission offices have one entrance.
The chairman of the Central Election Commission of Georgia Zurab
Kharatishvili requested the commission members to be careful in the
cooperation with the local officials.
2010-05-20
Workers On Strike in Rustavi
On May 17, the workers of the GeoStyle Ltd went on strike
in Rustavi. “Low salaries, no drinking water and toilets – these are
our main problems. We have to work two days and nights a week and the
salary is 300 GEL per month. It is slavery. They know that the country
is poor and people live in unbearable conditions; so they treat us
nastily. We went on strike 7 months ago too. We had same requirements.
The administration promised to improve the conditions but nothing was
changed,” said the worker of the factory Beso Bazadze. Strikers said
they cannot take a bath after a working-day. “We have neither bath-room
nor the dinning-room.”
2010-05-20
Opposition Parties Complain about Unequal Election Conditions
Two weeks before the municipal elections the opposition
parties started to complain about the unequal pre-election conditions.
Unlike the governmental officials, the single mandate candidates of the
opposition parties state that everything is ready in Kutaisi, like
throughout Georgia, to rig the elections.
2010-05-20
“We Have No Other Way but Living Together!” – Georgian Students Appeal to Abkhaz People
“If we want to gain Abkhazia back, we should first gain
the hearts of Abkhaz people back; we should restore the broken bridge
between the two nations of one state,” “Public diplomacy and peace will
help us,” “We should forgive each other’s sins,” said the Georgian
students during the discussion of Georgian-Abkhaz problem. However, we
encountered radical statements too: “We will gain the territory lost by
the war only through the war,” “Abkhaz people are blinded by Russia,”
etc.
2010-05-19
Presa.ge Got Hold of Expertise Conclusion on Roin Shavadze’s Case
Presa.ge got hold of two conclusions of the forensic
expertise – N 1739-111 and N2963/1 on Roin Shavadze’s case; according
to those conclusions, the senior sergeant Roin Shavadze, who had
returned home from the August war in 2008 two days ago, was initially
tortured and then killed.
2010-05-19
Amnesty International Responds to the Assertion of the MIA - Georgia Has Not Purchased Torture Equipment
Georgia: Ministry of Internal Affairs misconstrued
Amnesty International’s report on exports of policing equipment from EU
member states to Georgia Amnesty International rebuts false assertions
of the Georgian Ministry of Interior on 30 March1 alleging that the
organization published inaccurate information with regard to exports of
policing and security equipment from EU member states to Georgia in its
report, From Words to Deeds: Making the EU Ban on the trade in ‘tools of torture’ a reality (Index: EUR 01/004/2010).
2010-05-18
“Patients Will Not Stay in Such a Hospital; the Building Is Pulling Down”
The government of Georgia often boasts about the
development of hospital sector in the country and about the
construction of new hospitals in the regions. In fact, the doctors of
the region-based hospitals know the real situation better of all.
Nobody knows what will happen with the hospitals which are somehow
working now; most of them require serious reconstruction.
2010-05-18
Most Spread Methods of Election Rigging in Georgia
What methods are most popular in Georgia to rig the
elections, and whether it is possible to carry out fair municipal
elections on May 30 to show the real choice of the people? These
questions have become more and more urgent for the political parties
participating in the elections recently. The humanrights.ge interviewed
the board chairman of the International Center of Civil Culture Kote
Kandelaki who has been observing the elections for several years and
studies the features of the Georgian elections.
2010-05-17
Kvemo Kartli Region before Elections – Scarified Election Banners, Rapidly Changeable Opposition Feelings…
Next day, members of the Christian-Democrat Party found
their election banner scarified in the 7th micro district of Rustavi.
“The banners with our candidate in this district Giorgi Melikidze were
torn down and scarified next day. It is uncivilized form of fight. If
somebody thinks that by similar actions our rating will fall in this
city, he is very mistaken,” said the head of the Rustavi office of the
Christian-Democrats Aleko Akhvlediani.
2010-05-14
Governmental Officials of Georgia Were Bribed for the Purchase of Weapon from Israel
Online magazine MAIN JUSTICE
published scandalous article with the title “Superseding Indictment
Clarifies Alleged FCPA Conspiracy”. The article is about the ongoing
investigation in the USA on the corruptive facts discovered in the
weapon-trafficking. MAIN JUSTICE reports that high-ranking officials of
the Georgian government are also involved in this corruption. However,
their names are not mentioned in the article. Humanrights.ge thinks it
could be the main topic of the visit of the head of the US FBI in
Georgia several days ago when he met the minister of the internal
affairs of Georgia. Maybe, the detention of the former high-ranking
official of the Defense Ministry of Georgia Gela Berdzenishvili is
connected with this investigation as well. You can read the translation
of the full article.
2010-05-14
Members of the National Movement Have Absolute Majority in Election Commissions
Most opposition parties might have made a deal with the
government before the municipality elections of May 30. The reason of
the assumption is the party-belonging of the regional and district
election commissions members. However, neither those opposition parties
are active whose quotas were used by the National Movement.
2010-05-14
Strikers Committee Is Waiting for the Georgian Manganese to Keep Their Promises
The strike and protest demonstrations against Georgian
Manganese might renew in Zestaponi and Chiatura. On April 25, the
administration of the Georgian Manganese and the strikers committee
reached agreements after negotiations; however, it turned out temporary
agreement. The employees of the Georgian Manganese doubt the
administration lies to them. They doubted about it after the
shareholders of the company could not reach agreement.
2010-05-13
Initiative Group of Lawyers Started Manifestation in Front of the Parliament
Initiative group of lawyers started sitting
manifestation in front of the parliament building. Representative of
the initiative group Shalva Khachapuridze said the protest will last 24
hours a day till the results of the municipality elections of May 30
are announced.
2010-05-13
Head of CSD Was Fired Because of Pre-Election Oppression
The head of the Lanchkhuti district division of the
Constitutional Security Department was fired because of the oppression
on the single mandate candidate of the Alliance for Georgia.
2010-05-13
Alliance for Georgia Blames Chairman of the Samtredia Regional Election Commission in Close Relationship with the National Movement
According to the Alliance for Georgia, the first session
of the election commissions in Samtredia district was held with
violations. There are 50 polling stations and 49 000 registered voters
in the district. However, the changes are eventually introduced to the
election list. Unlike other opposition parties, only the representative
of the Alliance for Georgia Imeda Gogava protested the violations.
OTHER NEWS
Interior Ministry Says it 'Foiled Terror Plot'
The video, released on behalf of the Taliban, was posted on Internet from Georgia - Irakli Gharibashvili
People Will Be Discharged from Fines for Having Illegally Constructed Buildings
11 Officers of Senaki Brigade Questioned in Akhalaia’s Case
Majoritarian Candidates Lost Interim Elections Received 5 000 Lari Back
Archive
BLOG
Historic Review of Georgian Political Advertisement
In 2005, American researchers estimated that political advertisements on TV have short (two-week) impact on voters. But the result is so rapid andDetailed...
Pre-election Advertisement Promises
Quality and Purpose of Political Advertisements
EDITORIAL
Human Rights Center to Monitor Trials on Former Senior Governmental Officials
How the detention process of former senior officials is going on; whether political motivation is detected in it and will the new initiativeDetailed...
As a result of international oppression, State Audit Office and National Bureau of Enforcement postponed the repressions
The August war- who is guilty?
POLL
What do you think, shall the archive of illegally obtained operative materials be destroyed or not?