Nugzar Sulashvili, Trafficking Fighter is Trafficker?

Nona Suvarian, Tbilisi

Nugzar Sulashvili sought political asylum in France four years ago. However, he has not been granted received refugee status. Sulashvili was director of Georgia based organization that fought against human trafficking in Georgia. France refuses to grant the status based on most strange information that claims that Nugzar Sulashvili himself has actually been involved in human trafficking. Sulashvili requests to investigate his case and grant status of political refugees. www.humanrights.ge was able to in get touch with Sulashvili in France.

Mr. Nugzar, can you tell us about your activities in Georgia.

“International Center for the Protection of the Rights and Security of Migrants and Foreign Citizens” worked on trafficking since 2000. It was the time when this problem was not widely discussed in Georgia. Since 2002 the organization joined World Coalition against Trafficking, which was kicked off with boisterous statements at the time. We claimed that human trafficking was endemic in Georgia and even some high-ranking officials were involved in this illegal activity. We came out with these kinds of statements as we had access to some important evidence. In addition, we conducted investigation into the actual practice.  There was a great reaction to our statements with a substantial degree of fallout. Official structures even came out with the demand to launch criminal prosecution against me. In reply to their intentions I provided the procedural committee of the Georgian Parliament with all documentations on various MPs and petitioned the Parliament to start an investigation on them.

Both American and the International Organization for Migration responded to the situation and stated that they also had information about the involvement of high-ranking governmental officials and MPs in the act of illegal migration.

On January 2 2001 my family and I moved to another city of Georgia, as we had been informed certain people intended to attack my office. I decided to conceal our documents, so that the evidence would be protected.  Unfortunately, however, information became known and on our way to Rustavi we were attacked.  The greater part of the documents was destroyed.  However, the story did not end here, and our problems were only starting. Our information was based not only our documentation but also the stories of trafficked victims who had applied to our organization for rehabilitation asssistance. So, we had detailed information how these people had become victims in the first place. All of them could act as witnesses which would prove that high-ranking officials were actually involved in the crime.

-What happened with those documents?

-We handed those documents to the Committee of Security and specifically, Roland Giligashvili, chairperson of the procedural committee of the Georgian Parliament. Later, Giligashvili wanted to have me arrested. I concurred on the demand to open a criminal prosecution against me because I could prove my truth during the trial. However, later they canceled decision on my imprisonment. It was evident that they did not want to attract more attention to the issue.

Moreover, our organization prepared a report for 2001-2002. What happened next is rather suspicious, even before the actual report was published we had provided the report to the parliament and the document mysteriously disappeared from the procedural committee. We have not to date determined who was responsible for losing the report and what were the circumstances of its disappearance.

-According to the news your family was harassed.

-On July 15 2002 my family was attacked by armed people. The aim of the attack was designed to grab my documents. Police arrested one of the harassers but his actual identity was never announced. Later, we could only learn that he was a policeman.

Afterwards that I went to the United States and we and the Coalition were able to substantial plenty of materials about the trafficking. We had recordings of Georgian women retold how they had been the victims of trafficking. When I arrived in Georgia, special unit of the Committee of Security arrested me at the airport. My investigations in the United States brought about grave results because the families of those women who we interviewed in America had been abused. Later, those people requested us not to speak about their problems. In that period, Georgian authority did their best to leave the issue as something that was not up for discussion and taboo. Then I sent open letter to President Shevardnadze and requested him to fire some high ranking officials from law enforcement bodies and to bring about their imprisonment as well. My letter was never answered/ I was arrested next day I sent the letter; and we started to visit prosecutor’s office every day, they endlessly interrogated and threatened me ….

In 2003-2004 the political situation became very tense in Georgia. At that moment, TV Company “Mze” aired journalistic investigations that were prepared based on my information as the original source. The investigation showed how high-ranking officials had protected organized groups of traffickers.

The investigation was about a girl of 14 who was kidnapped from Gurjaani. The mother applied to the Gurjaani Police station for assistance. The police had information about her location and demanded money in exchange of her return. The head of Gurjaani police department was the brother of Roland Giligashvili. Finally, the parents could never collect the requested amount and the girl is still missing to this day.

Officials from the investigation department of the Georgian Internal Ministry were involved in this crime. They also demanded a ransom for the return of the girl.

We were able to get hold the interrogation protocols of the son of one of the members of Kvintradzee’s criminal clan. The boy said that fourteen-year-old girl was brought to their house under the influence of drug, and how his father had raped her at home; the boy said that he had urged his father not to touch the girl.

Mtvarisa Ilashvili was also involved in this crime; this woman is thought to be a famous trafficker in Kakheti region. It was very important information so while we were in the studio of the TV Company, threatening telephone calls were made. Next day, law enforcers “arrested” the recording of the journalistic investigation.

After that, on May 26, 2004 they attempted to kidnap my daughter. I applied to Temur Lomsadze, interim Public Defender. He said he could not assist me and the only way out of my problems was for me to leave the country. He advised to seek political shelter in any country. At the same time TV Company “Mze” had aired information where I was quoted as the original source. There we stated that nearly 100 Georgian citizens were assisted to cross the border of Greece illegally. After that, oppression on me increased and I had to leave Georgia. I then requested political shelter in France.

-However, you have not been granted with the status of a political refugee.

-I arrived in France with plenty of information. Corresponding organizations of this country had information about my activities. I handed them all materials that I had.

Nevertheless, information was then distributed that I was personally involved in trafficking. I cannot state who exactly initiated this disinformation. My attorneys have been trying to find out who was the source of this information for 4 years because we need them to provide documents against me. However, we have not received any documents yet. All what has transpired is illogical and proved to be not at all serious.