International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants against de facto Tskhinvali officials in case of 2008 Georgia-Russia war
Khan announced the investigation had also established the guilt of Vyacheslav Borisov, a Major General in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and Deputy Commander of the Airborne Forces, citing he was “believed to have intentionally contributed to the execution of some of these crimes and is now deceased.” Photo: menarights.org
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The International Criminal Court in Hague has issued arrest warrants against three de facto officials of Georgia's Russian-occupied breakaway Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region in a case of torture and ill-treatment of Georgian civilians during the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, the Georgian Justice Ministry announced earlier today.
ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan announced on March 10 the arrest warrants were introduced against the following three officials:
- Mikhail Mayramovich Mindzaev, Minister of Internal Affairs of the de facto Tskhinvali, on the position between 2005 and October 31, 2008
- Gamlet Guchmazov, who held the position of the Head of the Preliminary Detention Facility of the de facto Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tskhinvali region during the war
- David Georgiyevich Sanakoev, Presidential Representative for Human Rights of Tskhinvali region, also served as Ombudsman during the 2008 war
The aforementioned individuals are accused of crimes including unlawful confinement, torture, inhumane treatment, violation of personal dignity, hostage-taking and unlawful transfer.
Khan announced the investigation had also established the guilt of Vyacheslav Borisov, a Major General in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and Deputy Commander of the Airborne Forces, citing he was “believed to have intentionally contributed to the execution of some of these crimes and is now deceased.”
The Georgian Justice Ministry said it had been providing the curt with “comprehensive information and evidence necessary for proper investigation” in coordination with the country’s Government and the Prosecutor’s Office, calling the recent decision of the Tribunal a “logical continuation of the historic victory of [a 2021 European Court of Human Rights ruling in] Strasbourg.”
The Ministry pledged to continue working with the court in order to enforce international justice for other crimes committed against the Georgian people during the conflict and to “fully cooperate” with the court to bring the offenders to justice.
In 2021 the ECHR released its ruling on a separate case, pursued by Georgia against Russia in the case of the 2008 war, stating Russia had violated six articles of the European Convention on Human Rights during the conflict and carried out ethnic cleansing of Georgians, obliging the country to pay Georgia €10,000,000 for non-pecuniary damage suffered by a group of at least 1,500 Georgian nationals.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia has responded to a request by Inal Ardzinba, the de-facto foreign minister of the Russian-occupied Abkhazia region, for the status of an observer in the United Nations for the region by calling it a “propaganda move doomed to collapse."
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has begun considering a total of 59 individual complaints against Russia over the Russia-Georgia 2008 war, which left tens of thousands displaced from their homes in the now-occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region, the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) announced on Tuesday.
A joint statement of 16 countries of the OSCE expressed its support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders on the occasion of the 13th anniversary of the Russia-Georgia August War.
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 methods used by Russia against the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine are the same it used against Georgia 14 years ago, Nikoloz Samkharadze, who chairs the Georgian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said on Friday.
The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) against de facto officials of Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region concerning cases of crimes committed during the 2008 Russia-Georgia war mark a “win for Georgia”, Nikoloz Samkharadze, the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) MP who chairs the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said on Friday.
Holding the so-called parliamentary elections in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region is a “futile attempt” to legitimise the illegal occupation of the Georgian territories, the Georgian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague has confirmed Georgia’s occupation, ethnic cleansing and gross human rights violations by Russia, Sozar Subari, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party, said in comments to this week’s ruling by the Court on torture of Georgian citizens during the 2008 Russia-Georgia war.
The European Court of Human Rights has declared inadmissible 370 individual complaints filed against Georgia by residents of the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region in connection to the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, Rati Bregadze, the Georgian Justice Minister, said at a briefing on Thursday.
The “truth” about the 2008 Russia-Georgia war has been confirmed in international courts through Georgia winning legal battles against Russia, Archil Talakvadze, the Georgian Parliament Vice Speaker, said in reaction to the European Court of Human Rights decision on inadmissibility of complaints by residents living in the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia) on Thursday.
Jeppe Kofod, the Danish Foreign Minister, has condemned a referendum planned in Georgia's Russian-occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region on the province joining the Russian Federation as “totally unacceptable”.
The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the so-called presidential elections held in Georgia’s Russian-occupied breakaway Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region on Sunday, saying it was “another illegal act” by Russia aimed against Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) against de facto officials of Georgia’s occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region on a 2008 Russia-Georgia war case is a “great victory” and “great success” for Georgia, Maka Botchorishvili, the Chairwoman of the Georgian Parliament’s European Union Integration Committee, said on Friday.
The pre-trial chamber of the International Criminal Court in The Hague on Thursday issued arrest warrants for three former high-ranking officials in the de facto authorities of Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region, in a decision that follows a 2021 European Court of Human Rights ruling over their human rights violations during the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia in the region.
Prospects of deepening the existing cooperation between Georgia and the European Court of Human Rights were discussed on Wednesday by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and ECHR President Robert Spano.
The 2008 war between Russia and Georgia showed “we cannot rely on negotiations with the Kremlin”, Anna Fotyga, a Member of the European Parliament, said ahead of the upcoming 14th anniversary of the Russian invasion that sparked the five-day war between the two states.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on Tuesday said the decision at the NATO Bucharest Summit in 2008 not to grant Ukraine and Georgia the Membership Action Plan had been interpreted by Russia as “weakness” and a “clear invitation” to establish itself militarily in Europe.
The Council of Europe’s committee of ministers “strongly called” on Russia to submit a “full-fledged” action plan for the implementation of the decision of the European Court of Human Rights of 2021, to start taking effective steps to eliminate the main basis of the violations, continuous occupation, and to prevent the recurrence of human rights violations, the Georgian justice ministry announced on Saturday.
The International Criminal Court on Friday announced the completion of its investigation into the case studying potential war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Russia-Georgia 2008 war, launched in 2016 on the request of the Georgian Government.
Georgia has won all 3,300 complaints filed against it following the 2008 war with Russia to the European Court of Human Rights over potential violations and crimes committed during the conflict, Justice Minister Rati Bregadze said on Friday.
The recent conclusion of the International Criminal Court on Russia-Georgia 2008 conflict “has confirmed” Georgian troops had acted “in full accordance” with international law during the war, Beka Dzamashvili, the Deputy Justice Minister of Georgia said on Friday, in response to the completion of the ICC investigation opened in 2016.
Levan Davitashvili, the Georgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, on Monday praised his Government’s “close cooperation” with the International Criminal Court in the latter’s investigation into possible crimes committed during the 2008 Russia-Georgia war.
Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze and his deputies on Thursday briefed the country’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on the body’s planned 2023 work and innovative projects, including the introduction of a new generation of citizen IDs.
The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday unanimously held Russia responsible for violating three articles of the Human Rights Convention, including inhuman treatment, right to liberty and security, as well as right to a fair trial in a case concerning Levan Mamasakhlisi and Grigol Nanava’s unlawful arrests, ill-treatment and detention.
Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze on Friday hailed the victory of the country over Russia in a European Court of Human Rights case related to the 2008 war between the two states and stressed “historical justice always wins over historical injustice, no matter how much time passes”.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe on Tuesday endorsed amendments to the resolution on the Russian-occupied territories of Georgia that had been initiated by Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the European Integration Committee of the Georgian Parliament.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe on Tuesday urged an “immediate and unconditional” withdrawal of Russian military forces from Georgia’s occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).