Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Annual Report 2002 - Georgia

Attack on an NGO²¹

On 10th July 2002 a group of 15 persons aged between 25 and 30 attacked the offices of the Liberty Institute in Tbilisi, injuring several members of the association. The Chairman, Mr. Levan Ramishvili was a particular target, and the office equipment was destroyed. Three Council of Europe experts were present at the time and witnessed this. The offices are located in the town centre, yet the attackers had no trouble escaping. Two members of the radical religious group Jvari were arrested by police on 17th July, one of them having declared he had taken part in the attack. But both men were released and the charges against them dropped.

The Institute's premises had already been broken into and equipment stolen in 2001.

Smear campaign against NGOs²²

Since early 2002, there have been a number of attacks against NGOs to discredit them and impose political control over them. In March 2002 for example, President Shevardnadze compared NGOs' activities to those of terrorists and called for strict financial control. He also stated that legal action could be taken against NGOs that broke the rules. Only the Finance Minister opposed the campaign, describing it as "anti-democratic"; he was immediately dismissed from the government. When the President reiterated his defamatory remarks at meetings and press conferences, high-ranking officials all gave him their support. Mr. Levan Mamalazade, an influential member of the government, even accused the NGOs of "treason" and called for legal proceedings against NGOs for "attempting to overthrow the government". These declarations were extensively reported in the Government-controlled media.

Recurrent attacks on FCRS and its members²³

On 15th July 2002, Mr. Nugzar Sulashvili and his family were the victims of an armed attack in their home. Mr. Sulashvili is Chairman of the Tbilisi-based Center for Foreign Citizens' and Migrants' Rights and Security (FCRS). The attacker, probably a member of the secret services, was released immediately after his arrest and the police made no further enquiries. The purpose of the attack was certainly to dissuade Mr. Sulashvili from publishing the 2001-2002 Annual Report on trafficking in Georgia. The report cites several travel agencies and senior civil servants. Mr. Sulashvili had received threats against him and his family in May, with pressure to stop his investigations into companies that may be involved in human trafficking. The FCRS has been the target of a defamation campaign and acts of vandalism for three years now. On 12th March and 18th July 2000, the Centre's premises were attacked and equipment destroyed. On 4th November 2000, the Deputy Chairman of the organisation was physically attacked. On 2nd January 2001, the Chairman and his family were attacked in their car. Important documents have been systematically stolen. On 14th August 2001, documents belonging to Mr. Sulashvili concerning official involvement in various types of traffic were stolen at Tbilisi airport.

Break-in at NGO offices²⁴

On 14th October 2002, unidentified persons attacked the offices of the "Prisoners Brotherhood" in Tbilisi, stealing documents regarding the case of prisoner Robinson Margoshvili (a Georgian citizen of Chechen origin who is being defended by the NGO's President, Mrs. Lali Aptsiauri. Mr. Margoshvili is one of 13 Chechnyans arrested near the Russian border by Georgian border guards in early August 2002. After the arrests, Russia demanded their extradition. On 4th October, Georgia extradited five of the thirteen. Human rights organisations, including the "Prisoners Brotherhood", have denounced the extraditions because of the risks Chechnyan prisoners run in Russia.

No inquiry into attack on Mr. Zviad Mamasakhlisi²⁵

On 6th July 2001, Mr. Zviad Mamasakhlisi, a member of the Independent Society for Human Rights in Georgia (ISHRG), and one of his friends, were attacked and beaten up by five police officers, in the street and at the police station. By the end of 2002, there had been no inquiry into the incident.

No inquiry into the death of Mr. Georgyi Sanaya

Mr. Georgyi Sanaya, presenter on the Rustavi 2 TV channel and known for his denunciations of official corruption, was assassinated on 26th July 2001. A former State Security officer, Mr. Grigol Khurtsilava, confessed to the killing of Mr. Sanaya, denying any political motivation and claiming that it was an accident and that he did not know his victim. This version of the facts is open to serious doubt. Mr. Khurtsilava's trial is due to start in early 2003.

Media again under pressure

On 14th May 2002, the Rustavi 2 TV Channel was attacked by unidentified persons who entered the premises and fired shots. There was no-one else on the premises at the time. Rustavi 2 had already been raided by the police in 2001.

In February 2002, shots were fired at the premises where the Rustavi 2 programme "60 Minutes" is recorded. The police opened an inquiry, but as at end 2002, this has had no result. The programme's presenter, journalist Akika Gogichaisvilli, received threats several times in 2001 from representatives of the authorities and businessmen, some of whom are linked to the President's family. These threats were in connection with a documentary about State corruption and crime.

On 27th September 2002, some 30 police officers entered the premises of TV channel Odishi TV, based in Zugdidi, striking journalists and smashing computers and video equipment. Mr. Levan Kobalia, the channel's editor in chief, said he had recognised the regional Chief of Police among the attackers. A little later, four police officers went to the home of journalist Mrs. Ema Gogokhia, regional correspondent of Rustavi 2, struck her mother and her son and tried to abduct them. Mrs. Gogokhia had helped produce two programmes denouncing police violence and corruption, the first of which had been broadcast on Odishi TV early on the morning of 27th September. The documentary reported on the way the special police units in Zugdidi had repressed a demonstration organised when four people accused of murder were transferred to Tbilisi. Mrs. Gogokhia also received direct threats following this broadcast, with threats that her family would be killed if the second documentary was broadcasted and that, as in the case of Mr. Sanaya, her body would never be found.

[Refworld note: This report as posted on the FIDH website (www.fidh.org) was in pdf format with country chapters run together by region. Footnote numbers have been retained here, so do not necessarily begin at 1.]

21. See Urgent Appeal GEO 001/0702/OBS039.

22. Idem.

23. See Urgent Appeal GEO 002/0702/OBS 044.

24. See Open Letter to the President of the Republic, 17 October 2002.

25. See Annual Report 2001.