GYLA will lodge a complaint against the President of Georgia

www.gyla.ge 

We would like to respond to the statement of the President of Georgia made in Tbilisi State University at the meeting with students on May 10. Namely, in the audio recording released by mass media the President states: “rumors that people were slaughtered in the street belong to the same story as though I was implementing sexual harassment. Who was slaughtered in the streets during my government? They allege that 37 exemplary individuals were killed – who was exemplary, was it Vazagashvili? Vazagashvili had two guns and was going to kill others ”.  The interview was also released in internet with a student who left the University hall in protest. As he reports, he left the meeting as a sign of protest when the President called the “victims of the regime killers, namely he meant Vazagashvili and the Aprasidzes”.

In the audio recording, the President states expressly, in an imperative tone, that “Vazagashvili had two guns and was going to kill others”. With this statement he accuses Vazagashvili of committing guilt. However, it is true, that information provided by the President to the students is not a fact determined by investigation.

According to the Constitution and the Criminal Legislation of Georgia, the fact of committing criminal offence by an individual shall be determined only by enforced convicting judgment of a court, whereas the President’s allegation that “Vazagashvili had two guns and was going to kill others” is not based on a recognized fact of investigation. 

We also want to highlight that investigation on special operation implemented at tennis court territory on May 2, 2006 is still underway; therefore, some investigators might take President’s statement as psychological pressure.

Apart from violation of the presumption of innocence, the President failed to consider the gravity of possible moral damage suffered by the Vazagashvili’s family by his statement. Upon the application of Vazagashvili’s parents, GYLA intends to lodge a complaint against the President of Georgia on violation of Zurab Vazagashvili’s honor and dignity.