Human Rights Center Requests Remove Top Secret Status from the Cases of Former Political Prisoners

Natia Gogolashvili 

Human Rights Center Requests removal of Top Secret Status from the cases of former political prisoners who were charged for espionage  and new objective investigation into their cases. Representatives of the organization made the statement at the press-conference in the press-club of the news agency “Pirveli” on September 12. 

“Human Rights Centre supported release of former political prisoners from prison based on the Article 22 of the Law of Georgia on Amnesty. It was fair to release thembut it’s not enough for restoration of justice.  We believe that Top Secret Status must be removed from the cases of former political prisoners. This is very important for their rehabilitation.  They must have opportunity to prove their truth,” head of the legal aid center at Human Rights Centre Tamar Avaliani said. 

Vakhtang Maisaya, who was also convicted for espionage in the past, was released from prison as a political prisoner, but his case still has Top Secret status. 

As Vakhtang Maisaya states he was accused of espionage in favor for European states unlike other “spies” who were charged for the espionage in favor of Russia : “According to the status of my case, I am a spy of western special-services. Special forces of NATO, , France, Great Britain, Czech Republic and EU are mentioned in the document. This is a testimony which was enclosed to my case. Due to this document I am a spy of NATO Special Forces. I appeal to corresponding agencies of the NATO member states and representatives of their embassies in Georgia to get interested in my case.”.

One of the most resonant and scandalous case of photo-reporters also have Top secret status. According to Human Rights Centre photo reporters were arrested because of their professional activity. From the very first day of their arrest, the organization demanded their release and called them prisoners of conscience. Although photo-reporters were released from the courtroom, it happened via plea bargain and sanction was imposed on them.    

Yet in July 2012 (one year after photo-reporters release) Human Rights Centre requested to remove top secret status from photo-reporters’ case.   

Tamar Avaliani said that having top secret status for those cases is legal paradox.. “Identically, Vakhtang Maisayas’s verdict is public, so the case cannot have top secret status. Top secret status can be given to concrete issues which are related with the crimes against state, which is important for investigation, but entire case cannot have top secret status”. 

On 14 July 2014, Human Rights Centre appealed to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and requested remove top secret status from the case of the former political prisoner Vakhtang Maisaya. However, the Center has not yet  received an answer from MIA. 

Giorgi Abdaladze, one of the photo-reporters arrested for espionage, still hopes for the restoration of justice. “It is regretful, that people who participated in our case are still on their duties in law enforcement bodies. We hope sooner or later top secret status will be removed from our cases. We will fight for that and will achieve desired result. It is not good that we are still waiting for justice”- stated Giorgi Abdaladze. 

Case of Simon Kiladze also has top secret status; he was also charged under the espionage article. “I’m not hiding that I was updating US Embassy with the information, but it was not secret information; it was Georgian press review. The embassy reimbursed my cooperation with them.  Everything was done in according to law. However, the government did not say anything about it. It is clear that the case must be reviewed, top secret status must be removed and everything should be investigated again”-stated Simon Kiladze. 

Tamar Avaliani also speaks about legal irregularities in the cases on political prisoners: “It is impossible for us to speak in same legal aria about political prisoners and valid verdicts according to which people serve their sentence as spies.  These verdicts still exists, but their revision has not started yet. We think it is legal irrelevance”. 

Human Rights Center addresses to the MIA to remove Top Secret status from the cases of former political prisoners. At the same time, the MIA must pay attention to the cases of the people, who might not have the status, but signs of politically motivated persecution were evident.         

Human Rights Center calls on the Human Rights Committee at the Parliament of Georgia to take urgent measures for timely and effective rehabilitation of political prisoners.