Georgian Justice Minister: we’ve presented more than 700 pieces of evidence that Russia started the 2008 war
Georgian Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani reported to parliament before the legislators asked their questions. Photo: Justice Ministry press office.
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Georgian Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani stated in parliament today that starting from 2013 the Georgian Dream leadership has gathered and presented more than 700 pieces of evidence proving that Russia started the war in Georgia in 2008.
We have managed to show that it is Russia which was carrying out control on our occupied territories since the 1990s,” Tsulukiani said.
She stated that the evidence have been sent to the European Court of Human Rights and the International Criminal Court.
We are waiting for the European Court of Human Rights to deliver a verdict either this year or next year which will be in our interests. The evidence will also play a big role in the ICC investigation regarding the Russia-Georgia war,” Tsulukiani said.
Both the ruling party and opposition MPs attended the speech in parliament. Photo: Justice Ministry press office.
What has been done?
Tsulukiani, who is the only minister occupying the ministerial post since 2012, came to parliament earlier today to report on the activities of her body.
She stated that much has been done over the past several years by the Justice Ministry, which promoted Georgia in international ratings like the Doing Business ranking of the World Bank.
Speaking about the achievements Tsulukiani stated that the Georgian Public Registry National Agency [under the Ministry of Justice] has become the first in the region to introduce the innovative Blockchain technology, providing the “highest-level” of security for saved data.
More than two million transactions of real estate have been saved in the system. We are taking steps to use the technology for notary services,” Tsulukiani said.
She stated that the Public Registry Agency will have a new building next year, nearby the Justice Ministry office.
Tsulukiani said that the Public Registry agency is actively working on the Georgian navigation system with the cooperation of a foreign company Tomtom.
The navigation system will be gradually used by vehicle construction companies and we believe that the Renault-Nissan will be the first to install the navigation system in its cars," Tsulukiani said.
Tsulukiani stated that since 2012, when the Georgian Dream came to power, 18 justice houses, 70 community centres and six regional archives have been opened, providing more than 200 public-private services for local residents.
It is an unprecedented infrastructural work,” Tsulukiani said.
Tsulukiani stated that justice houses and community centres have much eased the lives of locals. Photo: Justice Ministry press office.
Tsulikiani praised the land registration reform of the Justice Ministry and stated that 629,000 lands have been registered by Georgian citizens so far free of charge.
Our citizens would have had to pay more than 34 million GEL for the service if it was chargeable,” Tsulukiani said.
She said that Georgia has ratified the Istanbul Convention and provided all measures to protect the women’s rights.
Tsulukiani stated that the mediation project recently offered by her body will help to settle thousands of disputes.
She announced that a State Inspector’s office will be created which will investigate possible offences committed by law enforcers.
The reform and the office will respond to many challenges and question marks,” Tsulukiani said.
The European Court of Human Rights held by sixteen votes to one that Russia has to pay Georgia 10,000,000 euros for non-pecuniary damage suffered by a group of at least 1,500 Georgian nationals.
Won dispute against Russia
Speaking about the lawsuit by Georgia against Russia concerning the unlawful deportation of Georgians from Russia in 2006, Tsulukiani stated that Justice Ministry did a huge work to win the dispute.
She said that the previous state leadership filed in the lawsuit with the name of 4,634 Georgian citizens and sent the list of 118 individuals only to the European Court of Human Rights.
We have to find 1,795 people actually after about ten years from the war, when the previous state leadership could have done this easily shortly after the armed conflict,” Tsulukiani said.
She stated that the Justice Ministry is making its services available for the people with disabilities, adding that 20 employees of her body have studied the sign language to provide services for the category of people.
Georgia plans to promote mediation as alternative to solving disputes without lengthy and costly judicial procedures. The Justice Ministry believes, it is “a natural and more favourable way” of solving business and civic disputes.
More than 600,000 private owners have officially registered their lands in Georgia since 1 August 2016, as the government offered them simplified and cheap procedures, Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze stated today during the presentation of the Land Registration Interim Report.
The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has announced its judgment today in the case of Georgia v. Russia, regarding the arrest, detention and collective expulsion of Georgian nationals from Russia in the autumn of 2006.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) continues the investigation of the Russia-Georgia 2008 war and Georgia stands ready to provide the court with all necessary materials, Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze’s press office reported after his meeting with ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda in New York yesterday.
One hundred days have passed since the enactment of new rules of procedure for the Georgian parliament.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) stated today that Russia must pay from €2,000 to €15,000 to Georgian nationals who were mistreated by the Russian government in the autumn of 2006, when hundreds of Georgian citizens were illegally detained and then deported from Russia.
Georgian Justice Ministry has called on the European Council Committee of Ministers to examine the case of the deportation of hundreds of Georgian nationals in late September 2006 and early 2007 from Russia under intensified surveillance procedure.
Members of the International Criminal Court (ICC), who are visiting Tbilisi, have told the Georgian media that the investigation of the Russia-Georgia war launched by the court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda in 2015, is in its active phase. Georgian Justice Minister said that range of activities have been conducted by the court alone and with the help of the Georgian government to establish the truth regarding “ethnic cleansing in Georgia during the Russia-Georgia 2008 war and the torture of Georgian war captives.”
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe will discuss the deportation case of Georgians from Russia in 2006 in its upcoming meeting, after Russia declined to pay 10 million EUR to Georgian citizens, a fine set by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in January 2019.
The Georgian parliament has approved Londa Toloraia, the former head of Human Rights Department of the Interior Ministry, as the country’s first state inspector to investigate possible crimes committed by law enforcers.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that the presumption of innocence was violated against former official and MP Irakli Batiashvili in 2006, under the United National Movement leadership and now the state must pay him 3,600 euros for non-pecuniary damage.
A new, independent agency, the State Inspector’s Office, which replaced the Personal Data Protection Inspector’s Office back in July 2019, will begin its function to investigate possible crimes committed by law enforcers and state officials starting November 1.An event was held earlier today to mark the upcoming launch of the work of the agency and was attended by top Georgian officials.
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has given a Russia deadline of November 12, 2020 to pay a €10 million fine to Georgia for illegal deportation of Georgian citizens back in 2006, the Ministry of Justice of Georgia reported earlier today. If Russia still refuses to pay the compensation per the verdict of the European Court of Human Rights in 2019, the council will adopt an interim resolution in December 2020 - the first step for the launching of procedures against Russia for shirking its responsibilities.
Georgian top officials have stated that the country’s victory in the August 2008 war case against Russia in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is ‘historic and an enormous victory for the country.’
The Russian Foreign Ministry has responded to Georgia’s recent victory in the Russia-Georgia 2008 war case in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Georgia has won the 2008 war case against Russia in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The court released its judgement earlier today which says that Russia violated several articles of the European Convention on Human rights during the conflict and carried out ethnic cleansing of Georgians. The court said that Russia is carrying out an effective control of Georgia’s Tskhinvali and Abkhazia regions and is responsible for the violation of human rights of Georgian citizens.
The Georgian parliament has adopted a resolution on de-occupation and peaceful resolution of territorial conflicts to once again urge Russia to withdraw its forces from Georgian territory and request stronger support from the international community.