Authorities Stand Firm, as Opposition Tries to Mount Pressure

The Georgian authorities downplayed, as they put it, “small protests” triggered by the trial over Sandro Girgvliani murder case and firmly backed Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili on July 7.

Series of protest rallies were held in Tbilisi on July 6-7 after the Tbilisi City Court found four former Interior Ministry officers guilty of inflicting bodily harms which led to Girgvliani’s death. But the authorities are under public pressure to punish not just immediate culprits, but those high-level Interior Ministry’s former officials who were allegedly behind the crime.

The opposition leaders from seven political parties, which lead the protests demand Interior Minister’s resignation accusing him of covering up those former officials who have allegedly ordered the crime.
 
Giorgi Arveladze, Chief of the President’s Administration; Giga Bokeria, an influential MP from the ruling party and MP Maia Nadiradze leader of the parliamentary majority – key figures in the ruling National Movement party – convened a joint news conference on July 7 to respond to the opposition’s demands.

MP Giga Bokeria also said that a trail over Girgvliani murder case ended with its natural outcome and no other verdict from the judge was expected.

Officials said that stirring political tensions in the country is the only reason behind the opposition’s attempts to stage protest rallies.

“This group of people is ready to use any kind of pretext for this purpose… But their [oppositions’] attempts are doomed to failure, as they lack public support,” Arveladze said.

MP Giga Bokeria said that “very small protest rallies” staged by the opposition parties will not yield any results.

Chief of the President’s Administration noted that the government is “watching very calmly” to the recent developments and “is very firm on its way to accomplish major goals the country is facing” – restoration of the territorial integrity.

Arveladze also downplayed demands for Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili’s resignation.

“It is better to look through some of the statistics showing that the crime rate has significantly decreased in the country, rather than to demand the Interior Minister’s resignation,” he said.

The United States has raised the issue of the Sandro Girgvliani high-profile murder case privately with the Georgian government, the Associated Press reported on July 6.

“It has been our position to make quite clear to the government that we expect no cover-ups and that those who are responsible should be brought to justice,” John Tefft, the U.S. Ambassador to Georgia, told by the Associated Press last week.

But calls for changes in the cabinet have already been voiced by some governmental officials as well. State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues Giorgi Khaindrava, who is known as an independent-minded cabinet member, criticized trial over the Girgvliani case on July 6.
 
“The court failed to pass the test. The verdict should have affected all those who were involved in this [murder] case… It is time for changes and we [the members of the cabinet] should give possibility to the President to carry out these changes,” Goga Khaindrava was quoted by the Rezonansi.

Interior Minister Merabishvili’s dismissal will automatically lead to a resignation of the entire cabinet, as Merabishvili will be sixth Minister replaced in this cabinet since it was approved in February, 2005. According to the law the entire cabinet should resign if one-third of its members change.