Statement of Human Rights Center – Prosecutor’s Office Must Timely Investigate High Profile Cases

Human Rights Center is alarmed with the fact that despite our many petitions and addresses, the Chief Prosecutor’s Office does not investigate the cases where signs of systemic crimes in penitentiary system and law enforcement bodies are detected.

We have not heard comprehensive legal evaluation of the period, when state used criminal prosecution and execution of judgments against citizens through blatant violation of the law. So-called special operations by different departments of the MIA conducted under the slogan “Zero Tolerance” often finished with the assassination of innocent people.

One of the vivid examples of past negative practice was so-called special operation near the tennis courts in Tbilisi organized by the criminal police on May 2, 2006, when Zurab Vazagashvili and Aleksandre Khubulov were killed. It was one of the most high profile cases for the past years, which has not been resolved yet. Impunity of the perpetrators resulted into the murder of Yuri Vazagashvili, the father of the killed Zurab Vazagashvili, on January 20, 2015 on the grave of his son.

Human Rights Center is determined to remind the Chief Prosecutor’s Office and the Government of Georgia that most part of high profile cases, where we detect signs of breached fundamental human rights of citizens, was not resolved yet. Regardless many promises, the state failed to establish effective mechanism for the eradication of judiciary miscarriages that could make revision of the past unfair judgments possible.  

After 2012 Parliamentary Elections, thousands applications were submitted to the prosecutor’s offices hoping that the new government will timely, effectively and impartially investigate the facts of past blatant human rights violations. 

We still observe unpleasant tendency in the activities of the prosecutor’s office: investigation into the facts of alleged torture, abuse and degrading treatment are either not started at all or dragged out for unreasonable time. Very often victims of mass human rights violations do not hold status of victim either.

Prosecutor’s office endlessly questions citizens as witnesses into the alleged facts of physical abuse and torture in penitentiary establishments but no results are so far.

Although torture, threat of torture, degrading and inhuman treatment is a crime under the Criminal Code of Georgia, prosecutor’s office launches investigation into those facts under the article about abuse of power that is incorrect practice. 

Part of cases of former political prisoners was not resolved yet. Big part of them was victims of torture and inhuman treatment. Although there is significant evidence in their cases, the investigation is groundlessly dragged out and ineffective. 

Human Rights Center addresses to the Chief Prosecutor’s Office with the request to timely investigate the cases of torture, inhuman treatment and illegal persecution. The Chief Prosecutor shall personally control investigation of high profile and politically motivated cases because society is looking forward to their impartial investigation and restoration of justice.

Human Rights Center calls on the Parliament of Georgia to conduct effective control over the activities of the prosecutor’s office. Effectiveness and legality of the prosecutor’s office activities must be controlled to promote accountability of the institution towards the Parliament of Georgia and citizens. 

Human Rights Center