Coalition for Freedom of Choice Requests Strict Punishment of Public Officials Participating in Karaleti Incident

Members of the Coalition for Freedom of Choice are concerned about the physical altercation between government supporters and representatives of the Coalition Georgian Dream in Kareleti village IDP settlement on July 12.

We are particularly concerned by the fact that public officials closely related to MP Badri Basishvili participated in the clash. Videos spread by various media-outlets show that public servants were particularly active during the incident. Levan Maisuradze, an employee of Gori district administration, was extremely aggressive toward opposition members and partook in an attack on journalist Saba Tsitsikashvili, head of Information Center of Shida Kartli. The videos show Maisuradze and his companions pushing Tsitsikashvili to the ground and beating him before bystanders rescue the journalist. Tsitsikashvili said that public servants Gigi and Gogita Gochashvili also participated in the physical assault on him.

Public servants and MP Basishvili’s allies were involved in physically assaulting Georgian Dream’s representatives as well; they threw stones at them and vandalized their cars.

Several journalists became victims of the aggression. Tamta Iluridze, Eka Iluridze, Shorena Khabalashvili, Rezo Nadiradze and Lekso Aleksidze of the news agency INFO 9, journalists Nukri Beglarashvili and Nodar Skhirtladze of TV Company Ninth Channel, Nino Bolashvili and Mamuka Kevkhishvili from the TV-Company Trialeti and Saba Tsitsikashvili of the Information Center of Shida Kartli were all injured as a result of the incident. Their equipment was also damaged.

The lawyers of the victimized people said that law enforcement officers mobilized in the district hospital threatened doctors who proceeded to discharge patients without recording their injuries.

We want to underline that what happened in Karaleti and during other, similar incidents puts the country on a dangerous trajectory away from normal election conditions No one, particularly not public officials, should hinder peaceful interaction between any political party and the population during the pre-election campaign.

The recent incidents, which occurred during Georgian Dream’s meetings with the population in Karaleti and in Shida Kartli region in general,  as well as the harassment of journalists, in part by people with ties to the local government and the ruling party, blatantly violates Georgian legislation and constitute crimes punishable under the Georgian Criminal Code.

The Coalition members call upon:
• relevant institutions to set a precedent and strictly punish the identified public servants participating in the incidents in order to avoid similar incidents in the future;
• the government and law enforcement bodies to ensure a peaceful environment for meetings of every political party within the frame of the pre-election campaign;
• United National Movement and all political parties make sure that their activists do not provoke representatives of rival political parties.

The undersigned urge that swift action be taken to avoid the risk of paralyzing the election process.

Members of the Coalition for Freedom of Choice

Irakli Melashvili, expert on election issues;
Zviad Koridze, media-expert;
Kote Kandelaki, International Center for Civic Culture;
Ucha Nanuashvili, Human Rights Center;
Ia Mamaladze, Georgian Media-Monitoring Center;
Giorgi Khutsishvili, International Center for Conflict and Negotiation;
Davit Narmania, Caucasian Institute of Economics and Social Research;
Magda Popiashvili, Georgian Media-Club;
Davit Losaberidze, Center of Local Democratic Network
Murman Pataraia, Resource Center of Civic Education

13.07.12