CSOs Urge Authorities to Protect Gogashvili’s Rights

Civil society organizations have released a statement responding to the arrest of Ioseb (Soso) Gogashvili, former deputy head of the State Security Service of Georgia (SSG), and subsequent events, reminding authorities that they have a “special obligation” to administer a high standard of justice in the case against him.

In the joint statement released on July 29, the CSOs emphasized that despite the fact that Gogashvili has been associated with a number of systemic crimes in the past, and is suspected of “gross violations” of citizens’ rights, protecting his rights as a whistleblower and guaranteeing his safety are “critically important.”

On the basis of the materials released by Gogashvili, the report prepared by CSOs, and the accusations voiced by him against Bidzina Ivanishvili, ex-PM and ruling Georgian Dream party founder, the CSOs called on the Ministry of Justice to take full responsibility for protecting his life and physical safety.

They also appealed to the Court to “execute justice against Gogashvili in such a way that there are no questions about the independence and impartiality of the judiciary.”

Along this line, they also called on the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia to conduct an immediate investigation into “all facts and information containing signs of crime” spread by Gogashvili.

The joint statement is signed by 11 civil society organizations including Transparency International – Georgia, the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, and the Democratic Initiative of Georgia.

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