Georgian PM: ICC, ECHR rulings confirming country’s troops did not commit war crimes in 2008 war “principled victory” of Gov’t

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Thursday said rulings of the European Court of Human Rights and the International Criminal Court that said the country's troops did not violate human rights or commit war crimes during the 2008 war with Russia had been a “principled victory” of the ruling Georgian Dream party Government.

Kobakhidze claimed the United National Movement opposition party had “already formed its position” regarding investigations of the war, as well as on the date of its outbreak, alleging the party used to refer to August 8 for the latter before “deciding to change” to August 7 by signing a European Council resolution that he said acknowledged “that [the then-Government] were the ones who initiated” the conflict.

You know that trials were held in The Hague and ECHR, where for us there was a highly principled victory, and it was through the efforts of our Government that Georgia won these trials and the Georgian troops won”, the PM said.

He also alleged the “UNM president”, in reference to Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, had shared the position and conducted her 2018 election campaign around the subject.

The Government head further alleged messaging from UNM and the Russian authorities had both claimed the war had been started by the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili’s UNM Government.

Kobakhidze noted it was “crucial” that the “crime committed by Saakashvili and the former UNM regime” should be “fully investigated, irrespective of the legal structure”.