Parliament adopts joint resolution on Tatunashvili case
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The parliament of Georgia has adopted a joint resolution on the case of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili, who was reported dead in unclear circumstances in occupied Tskhinvali on 23 February.
The resolution condemns Russia’s actions in the occupied territories of Georgia, makes a series of demands on Russia and envisages the creation of a sanctions list of individuals who have violated the rights of Georgian citizens in the occupied regions of Georgia.
Of 110 MPs, 106 voted for the resolution, including members of both the parliamentary majority and minority.
Today the Parliament of Georgia has adopted a very significant resolution with large-scale consensus concerning the blatant violation of human rights by Russia in Georgia’s occupied territories,” Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze has stated.
Kobakhidze stated that the resolution condemned:
- The occupation of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) by Russia
- Russian actions to annex and isolate the regions
- The erection of artificial barriers at so-called border points
- The blatant violation of Georgian citizens’ rights in the occupied regions
- The deaths of Georgian citizens Giga Otkhozoria and Archil Tatunashvili
- The destruction of Georgian villages and the damaging of Georgian churches
- Attempts of occupying forces to erase traces of Georgian habitation from the occupied regions
- The cancellation of Georgian language education in the regions, and
- The violations of the rights of internally displaced people.
The resolution also demanded that the Russian Federation not hinder a fair investigation into Tatunashvili’s case and to not create obstacles for the punishment of Otkhozoria’s murderer,” Kobakhidze said.
Both majority and minority members supported the resolution.
The parliament speaker announced that the resolution demanded the fulfilment of the Russia-Georgia 2008 ceasefire deal, the cancellation of Russia’s illegal recognition of Georgian regions as independent states and permission for international missions to be set up in the occupied territories.
The resolution also called upon Russia to act constructively within the Geneva International discussions and ensure return of Georgian IDPs to their homes.
Only United National Movement opposition members refused to vote as they had "two more remarks” to the resolution, which had not been taken into consideration.
Roman Gotsiridze from the opposition party stated that one of the remarks concerned the making of a longer list of offenders to avoid sanctioning only those individuals who could already be imprisoned.
The opposition also asked for the launch of communication with the United States and the European Union to sanction Russian for its violation of the Russia-Georgia post 2008 war ceasefire deal.
The majority leader Archil Talakvadze said that the United National Movement was not "brave enough” to support the resolution.
According to the resolution, the Government of Georgia will be obliged to come up with a list of individuals who have violated the human rights of Georgian citizens in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali by June 15, 2018 and the international community will be called on to take appropriate measures against those included on this list, also known as the "Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili” list.
Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili, who died in unclear circumstances in occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region on February 23, will be buried in his village cemetery on Saturday.
Tatunashvili’s body was finally returned to his family 26 days after his death as the de-facto Tskhinvali administration had refused to hand it over before an autopsy.
The body of the 35-year-old Georgian soldier, Archil Tatunashvili, who died in unclear circumstances in the occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region on February 23, has been handed over to representatives of the government of Georgia several minutes ago, 26 days after his death.
Georgian parliamentary members from the ruling and opposition parties have agreed on adopting a joint resolution over the recent death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili in the Russian occupied region of Tskhinvali.
The Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation has responded to Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili’s recent appeal to act jointly to resolve the complicated situation concerning Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili’s death in occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).
The European Union (EU) Special Representative for the South Caucasus Toivo Klaar has released a statement on his official Twitter page about the return of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili’s body to his family 26 days after his death in unclear circumstances in occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region.
The funeral of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili, who died in unclear circumstances in occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region a month ago are still underway in his village of Tsilkani in eastern Georgia.
Georgian soldier Archil Tatunashvili, who died in unclear circumstances in occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region a month ago, has been laid to rest with the military honours today. President Giorgi Margvelashvili posthumously awarded Tatunashvili the Order of Honour.
"I think the more time that passes, the more everyone will realize what a great hero Archil Tatunashvili is”, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili said at today’s government session.
The Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze stated today that 33 individuals have been put on the Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili list, which includes people who have violated the rights of Georgian citizens in the country’s occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions.Bakhtadze says that the number is expected to rise in the future.
A de facto lawmaker of the Georgian occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region Petre Gasiev says that the de facto legislative body of the breakaway area is drafting a list which will include Georgian, American , Ukrainian and other nationals who have violated the rights of Ossetians since 1992.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry says that Lithuania has set migration restrictions for people who have violated the rights of Georgian citizens in the Georgian occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) since the 1990s.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry says that Lithuania has officially set migration restrictions for people who have violated the rights of Georgian citizens in the Georgian occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) since the 1990s. The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry tasked the country’s migration service to do so on August 2.
Interpol has issued a red notice for two individuals charged with the illegal deprivation of liberty of three Georgian citizens in February earlier this year and the murder of one of them, 35-year-old Archil Tatunashvili.
The Council of Europe has supported the Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili list, which was drafted by the Georgian government last year to provide sanctions against individuals who have violated human rights in the two occupied regions of Georgia Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) sine 1991 until the present day.