Statement of Human Rights Center about Renewed Investigation into Khurcha Incident

Human Rights Center responds to the information spread by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which states that on October 22, officers of State Security Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, on the basis of the relevant decision of the Court, detained former head of Abkhazia Main Division of Constitutional Security Department-Roman Shamatava and former employee of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Special Operations Center Malkhaz Murghulia for organizing a terrorist act.

In accordance to the MIA, on May 21, 2008 Roman Shamatava, along with other high-rank officials of the Ministry plotted and implemented a terrorist act in Khurcha village, Zugdidi district, with the purpose to intimidate local population. The terrorist act posed danger to human lives, created the threat of causing substantial property damage and violated public security.

Human Rights Center welcomes renewed investigation into the so-called Khurcha incident by the MIA and hopes that the investigation activities will be conducted impartially in compliance to all procedural norms. In addition, it is significant that the investigation exposed the people, who ordered the crime.  

On the Election Day, 21st May 2008, shootings were heard in Khurcha village, inside the de-militarized zone of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict line. Georgian TV reported that buses carrying Georgian voters travelling from the Abkhaz side of the Inguri River to Khurcha to vote in the local polling station, had been hit by grenades and gunfire. Georgian television showed dramatic images of exchange of fire, burning buses and people running in panic. Later the same day, President Mikheil Saakashvili traveled to Zugdidi and met with one of the wounded women at the local hospital. MIA issued a statement blaming the Abkhaz side in the terrorist act. 

Human Rights Center was one of the first to criticize the official version of the terrorist act. On May 22, observers from the Human Rights Center and Norwegian Helsinki Committee arrived in Khurcha to examine the site together with the UNOMIG Military Expert Andres Tegnborg. The observers talked with local residents. As a result of the implemented survey, many questions were raised: 1. Security forces in civilian clothing were either already present when the shooting started, or present shortly after and returned fire. They were joined very quickly by Georgian Interior Ministry personnel. Khurcha lies inside the de-militarized zone, which means that Georgian military was not present there; 2. The rare and dramatic event occurred at the very moment when numerous TV-reporters had been brought to the village for a pre-arranged media show; 3. Voters brought from the other side of Inguri River were not taken to the voting station but to the soccer field, where so many journalists had been brought there in advance; 4. The grenades were fired from within the Georgian side of the conflict zone, at a very short distance. 

Observers of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee and Human Rights Center recommended to the former government to launch a serious, independent and impartial investigation of the incident and to identify persons responsible for the criminal act. ( humanrights.ge/index.php?a=main&pid=7174&lang=eng) In December of 2008, Human Rights Center produced a special report on Khurcha Incident.( humanrights.ge/admin/editor/uploads/pdf/Khurcha.pdf) This topic was mentioned in the reports of other authoritative organizations too, for example in the report of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee. Unfortunately, five years ago, MIA did not react on our statements and reports and only now, when the government changed in the country, the Khurcha incident was re-investigated.

Human Rights Center hopes similar provocations and incidents will remain in the history. The organization will observe the October 27 Presidential Elections together with the representatives of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee; Aage Borchgrevnic, who was one of the first to arrive in Khurcha to study the circumstances of the incident on the fresh track, will again visit Georgia to observe upcoming elections.