Parliamentary Committee adopts document addressing inhuman treatment under UNM gov’t

Georgian lawmakers have presented a document that legally assesses facts of torture, inhumane treatment and other human rights violations that took place over eight years under the previous government and offer recommendations so that these atrocities never happen again. 

The Parliamentary Committee of Human Rights and Civil Integration presented the document yesterday at Hotels and Preference Hualing Tbilisi and was attended by almost all top Georgian officials and diplomatic corps representatives. 

Based on the recommendation of United Nations (UN) issued in August 2014, a special group was formed within Parliament’s Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee to address previous facts of torture and inhumane treatment, which took place from 2004-2012 when United National Movement (UNM) led the country. 

The group was composed of Committee members, as well as of the representatives from Georgia’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Corrections and the Public Defender’s Office. 

The group was tasked to legally assess the cases of inhumane treatment and torture and come up with recommendations for different state bodies to prevent such illegalities in the future. 

Prime Minister said the GD Government did its best to protect human rights and prevent human rights violation. Photo by Prime Minister's webpage. 

• A series of videos reflecting torture and inhumane treatment in Georgian prisons were released before the October 2012 Parliamentary Election. 
• After Georgian Dream (GD) defeated UNM in the elections, the new government seized and destroyed hundreds of videos recorded by UNM reflecting the private lives of people, inhuman treatment and torture. 
• Since 2012 the Chief Prosecutor’s Office said it had received thousands of complaints by alleged victims of inhumane treatment under UNM leadership. 

We have discussed more than 6,000 complains as we worked on this document. More than 400 complaints included concrete facts of torture, inhumane or abusive treatment. In more than 340 complaints applicants stated they were victims of torture and inhumane treatment,” said head of Parliament’s Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee Eka Beselia.

She said the recommendations offered in the document would be sent to relevant state agencies, and this included the necessity of a comprehensive investigation of all facts of alleged inhuman treatment and torture, punishment of offenders and carrying out appropriate measures to avoid such facts ever happen again.

Parliament chairperson David Usupashvili also spoke at the presentation and said there was "no justification” for torture and inhumane treatment.

Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili added it was hard to imagine that "such atrocities occurred in our homeland, inhumane and degrading treatment, blackmailing and insults, outrages upon personal dignity, deprivation of property and killings”.

Parliament Speaker stressed torture and inhumane treatment had no justification. Photo by the Prime Minister's webpage. 

The PM stressed all these facts of human rights violations were carried out by a government that claimed it was bringing Georgia closer to Europe. 

He stressed the GD Government did its best to protect human rights and prevent human rights violations, and even now when false accusations were made, the Government would not seek revenge or react to such insults.

It was due to our great efforts that we avoided a civil confrontation and revenge after these illegal activities were unveiled. Furthermore, today we hear absolutely groundless and insulting allegations against our government from the creators of this merciless system.” 

Today the [perpetrators] are absolutely convinced that despite their dirty and false accusations, they will not be persecuted by the state even for the most radical and slanderous accusations and they will not be subjected to blackmail and revenge. That is the achievement of our Government and nation. That is our distinctive characteristic," Kvirikashvili stressed.

The PM hoped all cases of torture and inhumane treatment would be investigated by official agencies in a timely manner.