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Human Rights Center Welcomes Decision of The Hague Court

January 28, 2016
 
Human Rights Center welcomes the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to authorize the Prosecutor’s Office to open an investigation in Georgia. and will help the sufferers of August 2008 war to timely address the Court in Hague. Victims of the Georgian-Russian War deserve restoration of justice and punishment of perpetrators. State officials, who allegedly committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, shall not remain unpunished. 

On November 12, Human Rights Center submitted positions of 193 victims to the Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICC and on behalf of the victims supported the request of the Prosecutor to commence the investigation. Lawyers of Human Rights Center will represent interests of the victims of the August 2008 War at The Hague Court.

Human Rights Center has been closely observing the process of investigation of war crimes committed during August conflict in Georgia. In 2011, Norwegian Helsinki Committee published report “Unable or Unwilling”  in preparation of which Human Rights Center also participated. The report concludes:  “Overall, it would seem that the information provided by the survey of the ECHR applicants indicates that the Georgian authorities are at least both partly unable and partly unwilling to conduct an effective investigation into international crimes allegedly committed during and after the August 2008 war”. Therefore, the need of active steps from the ICC for the investigation of these crimes was raised.

With the active participation of Human Rights Center, the Coalition for International Criminal Court was created  which addressed the prosecutor of ICC with a petition in 2012 with the request to investigate the cases of those who suffered during August War of 2008 and bring the perpetrators to justice. The member non-governmental organizations considered that the investigation opened by Georgian and Russian investigative bodies was in conflict with the requirements of Rome Statute . 

In 2009, Human Rights Center addressed the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) regarding cases of approximately 130 alleged sufferers of August 2008 war and argued the violation of the right to life, prohibition of torture and illegal deprivation of property. These cases are still ongoing in ECtHR.

On October 14, International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH www.fidh.org) and Human Rights Center disseminated a joint press-release which underlines the significance of new undertakings under ICC regarding the investigation of crimes in Georgia. Human Rights Center considers that the steps taken into this direction give hope to the sufferers in the first place – the people who suffered the consequences of war and ethnic cleansing and who will be able to directly address the ICC.

Lawyers of Human Rights Center will represent legal interests of the victims of August 2008 War at The Hague International Criminal Court.  

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