Public Defender Answered MPs’ Questions

Interpresnews

On April 30, Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili answered questions of the MPs at the session of the Human Rights Parliamentary Committee.

First Ucha Nanuashvili provided the MPs with the information collected about special operation in Lapankuri and about detentions of former senior officials. According to Nanuashvili, Lapankuri incident shall be necessarily investigated. The Ombudsman believes that collected evidence cast doubt over the official version about the special operation.

“We interviewed family members of the killed people. There are many controversial facts in the case – MIA had issued driving licenses and permissions on firearms on Chechen paramilitaries killed during the special operation. Besides that, in 2012 MIA had established armed formation of Chechen paramilitaries. MIA shall respond to these facts,” Ucha Nanuashvili said.

He added that ethnic Chechen people received Georgian passports at Georgian embassies in foreign countries. Nanuashvili thinks there are controversial opinions about Lapankuri special operation and the investigation shall answer all those questions.

“Those people, ethnic Chechens, took Georgian passports at our embassies. It should be investigated and the purpose of similar action shall be estimated. We cannot keep blind eye on it as people were killed,” Public Defender said.

At the committee session Ucha Nanuashvili spoke about violations in the cases on former defense minister Bacho Akhalaia, on Gigi Kalandadze and Tengiz Gunava. He said their office continues to study those violations.

“We intend to prepare one more recommendation where we will speak about different procedural violations; our representatives attend trials and study their cases in more details,” Nanuashvili said.

MP Akaki Minashvili asked Public Defender questions about violations in Gunava’s case.

“I would like to hear your position about the MIA’s allegation on Gunava’s case, when they state that there is assumption that Gunava had gun and drugs on him though they cannot prove it and the case was dropped. Is not it violation of presumption of innocence?” Minashvili asked.

Nanuashvili noted that Public Defender’s Office will continue monitoring of those cases and when they have full information, they will announce their conclusions.

Committee Chairwoman Eka Beselia asked Public Defender to name the document on the violations about Akhalaia’s case mentioned in his report.

“You state in your report that one and the same person was questioning witnesses in Akhalaia’s case but signatures belonged to different people; based on which document you made this statement?” Beselia asked and Nanuashvili answered that their conclusion relied on the materials provided by the defense lawyer.

Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili made a speech at the session of the Human Rights Committee on April 18 too and presented MPs with part of his report about current situation in penitentiary establishments, inhuman treatment of prisoners, violations depicted before elections, current situation in judiciary system and recommendations about children’s rights.