Press Scanner
Complied by Liana Bezhanishvili
Wednesday, October 21
Tortladze’s initiative is based on the “Shame of Democracy”
Kviris Palitra reports that the majority of the opposition see Gia Tortladze’s Patriot Act as a means of pressurising people with different views. Members of Tortladze’s own faction are opposed to it.
The US Patriot Act on which Tortladze’s initiative is modelled was called the “Shame of Democracy” when it was passed. It is therefore being asked why the MP is trying to get Parliament to adopt such a bill in Georgia.
Expert on national security issues Beso Aladashvili has commented on the differences between the Patriot Act and a previous Gia Tortladze initiative, the lustration law. “The Lustration Law and the Patriot Act are absolutely different to each other. The Patriot Act will give special services supplementary functions. However lustration need not involve doing this, Germany and Poland’s lustration laws being examples of such ‘light’ approaches to this issue.
“[What they have in common is that] for some reason Tortladze has taken the Lithuanian law as the basis of his lustration proposal, although it did not produce the most favourable outcome in that country. In Romania, Germany and Poland they have created public institutes to examine evidence against former Communists but Tortladze is demanding a State Commission, which I think is a mistake. I think that a public committee, on which no one who might be affected by the application of the lustration law will serve, should examine such evidence,” Aladashvili said.
Zugdidi residents are joining Defend Georgia
Sakartvelos Respublica reports that the Chair of the public organisation Defend Georgia, Levan Gachechiladze, has visited the protestors in improvised cells in the centre of Zugdidi and then held a meeting with the local population.
Gachechiladze stated that the cell protest in Zugdidi, similar to the one held earlier this year in Tbilisi, would be suspended for some time, but during this period Defend Georgia will be recruiting members door to door and establishing an office at which people can enroll.
Levan Gachechiladze also met local opposition party members in Zugdidi.
Soso Tsintsadze: Georgia should bring a lawsuit against Russia
Political analyst Soso Tsintsadze has stated in an interview with Kviris Palitra: “The introduction of a visa-free regime is the beginning of the Russian annexation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russia attempted to introduce such a regime in Abkhazia last summer but Abkhaz officials and some of the population categorically opposed it. There is great difference between Tskhinvali and Sokhumi in this respect,” Tsintsadze says.
“No one will ever relocate from Russia to Tskhinvali. But Tskhinvalians will move to Russia in great numbers. Then Russia will fill the region with its military personnel. But the situation is different in Abkhazia – every Russian wants to live in Abkhazia due to its fine climate. Abkhazians realise that this will be a demographic catastrophe for them. But no one will ask the Abkhazians anything, everything there is decided by the Russians,” Tsintsadze says.
“Georgian official structures will have to work hard to draft and bring an international lawsuit against Russia even on the basis of nothing more than the factual materials in the Tagliavini Report. The courts in The Hague and Strasbourg should hear such a suit. There are certain precedents: A Greek woman filed a complaint against Turkey for the damage caused to her during the Turkish occupation of Cyprus. Strasbourg fined Turkey 800,000 EURO for keeping the Turkish Army in the occupied zone of Cyprus. Georgia should be more active for no one will ever conduct our affairs for us. But it should also be noted that Europe has let Russia get away with its aggression this time but if it happens again Europe will not close its eyes,” he remarks.
”We should not be too sure that the reset of relations between America and Russia will actually take place. Clinton stated: “We should ensure that Georgia feels safe”, and the White House indicated to The Kremlin that their mutual cooperation will not be at Georgia’s expense. You may also remember Obama’s speech at the UN, in which he attacked Medvedev directly by saying that there would be no ‘regional zones of privilege’ any more. This was the answer for Medvedev’s statement that Russia has a privileged interest in the Caucasus,” Tsintsadze states.
Kviris Palitra reports that the majority of the opposition see Gia Tortladze’s Patriot Act as a means of pressurising people with different views. Members of Tortladze’s own faction are opposed to it.
The US Patriot Act on which Tortladze’s initiative is modelled was called the “Shame of Democracy” when it was passed. It is therefore being asked why the MP is trying to get Parliament to adopt such a bill in Georgia.
Expert on national security issues Beso Aladashvili has commented on the differences between the Patriot Act and a previous Gia Tortladze initiative, the lustration law. “The Lustration Law and the Patriot Act are absolutely different to each other. The Patriot Act will give special services supplementary functions. However lustration need not involve doing this, Germany and Poland’s lustration laws being examples of such ‘light’ approaches to this issue.
“[What they have in common is that] for some reason Tortladze has taken the Lithuanian law as the basis of his lustration proposal, although it did not produce the most favourable outcome in that country. In Romania, Germany and Poland they have created public institutes to examine evidence against former Communists but Tortladze is demanding a State Commission, which I think is a mistake. I think that a public committee, on which no one who might be affected by the application of the lustration law will serve, should examine such evidence,” Aladashvili said.
Zugdidi residents are joining Defend Georgia
Sakartvelos Respublica reports that the Chair of the public organisation Defend Georgia, Levan Gachechiladze, has visited the protestors in improvised cells in the centre of Zugdidi and then held a meeting with the local population.
Gachechiladze stated that the cell protest in Zugdidi, similar to the one held earlier this year in Tbilisi, would be suspended for some time, but during this period Defend Georgia will be recruiting members door to door and establishing an office at which people can enroll.
Levan Gachechiladze also met local opposition party members in Zugdidi.
Soso Tsintsadze: Georgia should bring a lawsuit against Russia
Political analyst Soso Tsintsadze has stated in an interview with Kviris Palitra: “The introduction of a visa-free regime is the beginning of the Russian annexation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russia attempted to introduce such a regime in Abkhazia last summer but Abkhaz officials and some of the population categorically opposed it. There is great difference between Tskhinvali and Sokhumi in this respect,” Tsintsadze says.
“No one will ever relocate from Russia to Tskhinvali. But Tskhinvalians will move to Russia in great numbers. Then Russia will fill the region with its military personnel. But the situation is different in Abkhazia – every Russian wants to live in Abkhazia due to its fine climate. Abkhazians realise that this will be a demographic catastrophe for them. But no one will ask the Abkhazians anything, everything there is decided by the Russians,” Tsintsadze says.
“Georgian official structures will have to work hard to draft and bring an international lawsuit against Russia even on the basis of nothing more than the factual materials in the Tagliavini Report. The courts in The Hague and Strasbourg should hear such a suit. There are certain precedents: A Greek woman filed a complaint against Turkey for the damage caused to her during the Turkish occupation of Cyprus. Strasbourg fined Turkey 800,000 EURO for keeping the Turkish Army in the occupied zone of Cyprus. Georgia should be more active for no one will ever conduct our affairs for us. But it should also be noted that Europe has let Russia get away with its aggression this time but if it happens again Europe will not close its eyes,” he remarks.
”We should not be too sure that the reset of relations between America and Russia will actually take place. Clinton stated: “We should ensure that Georgia feels safe”, and the White House indicated to The Kremlin that their mutual cooperation will not be at Georgia’s expense. You may also remember Obama’s speech at the UN, in which he attacked Medvedev directly by saying that there would be no ‘regional zones of privilege’ any more. This was the answer for Medvedev’s statement that Russia has a privileged interest in the Caucasus,” Tsintsadze states.