Opposition, Human Right Groups Address International Community

Several opposition parties, including the Conservative, New Rights, Republican, Labor and Freedom parties signed a memorandum on March 24, expressing  protest against the activities of the Georgian authorities, including over Sandro Girgvliani’s high-profile murder case.  

The memorandum, which was sent to the embassies in friendly nations, focuses on human rights violations in Georgia, particularly on the cases of murdering unguilty people by law enforcement agencies, tortures and insults, political repressions, oppression of mass media and journalists.

“The Georgian President and the Interior Minister have numerously called on law enforcers to liquidate suspicious people on the ground,” the memorandum reads.

The opposition parties and the human rights groups basically focus on the high-profile murder of Sandro Girgvliani by top officials from the Interior Ministry. “Only after the extreme protest by the society, it became possible to arrest one part of direct murderers, while those who masterminded the murder are still free,” the memorandum reads.

The memorandum also focuses on numerous facts of misappropriation of businessmen’s property by the persons close to the authorities, as well as on non-transparent privatization process.    

“The Georgian President and the executive authorities try to undertake the functions of the judicial and legislative authorities, that is confirmed by direct pressure on the judicial authorities,” the document reads.

The opposition also expresses protest against the amendments to the election legislation, which “practically rule out the possibility of holding democratic and fair elections.” The memorandum says that the authorities are categorically against direct election of mayors, lowering of the 7% electoral threshold, composition of election commissions on a parity basis, making up transparent voter lists, inadmissibility of participation of the President and other officials from the executive government in an election campaigning.

“We think that the only way out of the current situation is coordination of efforts by the civil society against the authorities’ illegal policy… The efforts of international community in protecting and strengthening the democratic values in Georgia are extremely important,” the memorandum adds.