Web Portal on Human Rights in Georgia

-France hosts weapon exhibition every year where weapon producing countries and companies exhibit their products. You can see all kind weapons there – air or naval weapons, pistols or automatic guns. I, as representative of the Radio France in the EU and NATO, have permanent accreditation at the exhibitions. Contracts of weapon procurement are also signed on those exhibitions. Officials of various governments, representatives of the defense or interior ministries, sign contracts with military industries. I was notified that Temur Alasania represented Georgia at the exhibition; he is advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. What did Alasania want at the exhibition? As far as I know, he admitted that according to the instructions he had to purchase weapon for the dispersal of demonstrations though it is within competence of the MIA.

Generally, various countries purchase non-lethal modern weapon for the dispersal of demonstrations on similar exhibitions and it is not strange but a representative of the MIA shall be in charge of the procurement instead the president’s uncle. I have reliable and verified information that Temur Alasania had some other instruction from Saakashvili – to negotiate about the purchase of anti-air defense systems, so called radars. Apparently, Alasania was requested to go to Paris alone and purchase weapon without participation of the Defense Ministry.

The exhibition will last two weeks and I will go there (I had to stay in Brussels these days and so I relied on the information of my colleagues). Hopefully, I will soon see the president’s uncle unless he is called back after my letter is published. I will try to ask him several questions… Newspapers in the west often wrote that Temur Alasania was suspected in the cooperation with weapon-traffickers. I think French side will try to find out whether Georgia intends to purchase weapon in France to sell them to Arabic countries afterwards.

-Do you think political processes will again move to the street in Georgia?

-I think, Saakashvili will gain from it. So, everything depends on who will lose temper first. I will not be surprised if the government expels Ivanishvili from his own house. In this case, we will be the first country where the richest person gets homeless. I also suspect that the government might expel the businessman from the country without legal grounds.

The government will do its best to avert current situation before the elections because they detected unpleasant reality; large demonstrations proved anti-governmental attitude of the population.

I remember years of national movement; even Zviad Gamsakhurdia [late president of Georgia] could not gather more than 5 thousand people in Kutaisi … despite the government’s calculation, they could not discredit significance of the Ivanishvili’s supporting demonstration in Kutaisi. It makes no difference 20 000 people or 55 000 people gathered there. By the way, Francois Hollande gathered only 22 000 people in France with 65 million population and this demonstration was evaluated as the largest assembly in French history.

Saakashvili has only one solution to inspire controversy to show to the West that his opponents still fight against him from the street and do not want to participate in the elections. Saakashvili will do his best to compel anxious people to go in the street and demand coup before elections.

So, we must somehow endure current situation till October and then express our free will at the ballot boxes. We must do our best to avoid nervous collapse. Then, if they fraud elections, the west will also justify people’s protest assemblies. After the elections, everybody shall protect his/her vote.

Human rights defender and publicist Irakli Kakabadze several times blamed Temur Alasania in illegal weapon trafficking and in some other gross crimes. He declared during live broadcasting of Obiektivi-TV: “Alasania is weapon-trafficker criminal and mafia leader with white gloves… Zurab Zhvania’s assassination is directly connected with Temur Alasania and his interests. He wanted to get hold of buildings located close to the Tbilisi International Airport for weapon trafficking. Zhvania opposed him in this particular case and finally Zurab Zhvania was killed.”