33 People Put in the List of Offenders of Human Rights in Occupied Regions
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Wednesday, June 27
The government of Georgia has put 33 individuals in the list of the people who have committed crimes against Georgian citizens in the country’s occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions.
The Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze says that the number is expected to rise in the future as several cases are being investigated.
“The list includes individuals who have been accused or charged with murder, kidnaping, torture or for concealing crimes committed against citizens of Georgia since 1991 up to now,” Bakhtadze says.
The prime minister says that the government has already specified the procedure which, with the active involvement of the international community and partner states, will hold the people accountable for their offences.
“We have also specified the state bodies which will be responsible for the enforcement of the procedures mentioned by the list. The bodies will be responsible for making reports over the enforcement process for the government and parliament,” Bakhtadze said.
Davit Gurtsiev, so-called assistant to occupied Akhalgori district prosecutor, and Alik Taboev, head of Akhalgori department of so-called security committee, who are charged for torture and illegal deprivation of Archil Tatunashvili’s freedom, as well as Rashid Kanji-Oghli, who murdered Georgian citizen Giga Otkhozoria in 2015, are included on the Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili list, the Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality Ketevan Tsikhelashvili stated.
The European Georgia opposition member Giorgi Tugushi says that drafting of the list is important.
“Of course, I would like more people, including Russian politicians, to be included on the list. At the same time, the list should be realistic in order for the states to impose restrictions on the listed persons,” Tugushi said.
The parliament of Georgia will have to approve the list once it is put forward to the legislative body.
Otkhozoria and Tatunashvili are the surnames of Georgian citizens who were killed by Russia-controlled so-called border guards or law enforcers in the occupied Tskhinvali region in 2015 and 2018.
The parliament of Georgia adopted the resolution on the case of Archil Tatunashvili in March 2018.
The resolution condemned Russia’s actions in the occupied territories of Georgia, made a series of demands on Russia and envisaged the creation of a sanctions list of individuals who have violated the rights of Georgian citizens in the occupied regions of Georgia.
The creation of the list was the initiative of the European Georgia parliamentary opposition party.
