Opposition discuss political prisoners with diplomats

Non-Parliamentary opposition members met representatives of the diplomatic corps on December 7 at the Old Metekhi Hotel. The meeting was initiated by the opposition and mostly concerned political prisoners. Representatives of the Conservative Party, the Democratic Movement – United Georgia, the Movement for United Georgia, the Way of Georgia, and the People’s Party were due to attend this meeting, but in the event only Kakha Kukava, the Conservative Party joint leader, did so.

Kukava stated after the meeting that NGO representatives should be involved in the trials of political prisoners. "Discussion of political prisoners’ cases has already begun in the courts and opposition parties are going to monitor this process. I hope NGOs and diplomats will help us in this direction," Kukava stated. He added that opposition parties and 5 NGOs had compiled a list of 50 political prisoners which they had delivered to the diplomats.

Kukava mentioned that the trial of political prisoner Vladimir Varkhania, who was arrested for purchasing and possessing a firearm, would start in Kutaisi on December 9. He said that opposition parties and NGOs would organise a protest rally that day. He added that on December 10 the cases of Eka Beselia’s son and brother are due to be heard in Batumi and on December 11 Koba Kobaladze’s trial is to start in Tbilisi City Court. Kobaladze was commander of the National Guard until 2004 but was arrested on May 5 2009 charged with plotting a coup, the so-called Mukhrovani Mutiny. Kobaladze, who has testified, denies all charges. Kakava said that in all these cases the opposition and NGOs plan to hold protest rallies, adding that he hoped the diplomats would monitor them.

The Government and opposition have already been having serious discussions on the issue of political prisoners. The issue was also discussed in November when Michael H. Posner, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, visited Georgia. Posner stated then that he was interested in this issue. “I know that the Ombudsman here has raised some cases and we do take those cases seriously and have other opportunities to discuss them with the Government.” While he was Ombudsman Sozar Subari, who is now with the opposition Alliance for Georgia, referred in his biannual report to Parliament to a number of what he described as political imprisonments, but none were mentioned in the most recent report submitted to Parliament by his successor Giorgi Tugushi.

Irakli Alasania, the leader of the Alliance for Georgia, said on November 17 that eight opposition activists had been released in November and that this was a positive development. He said that those eight activists had been on the list of political prisoners which opposition leaders had given Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili during their meeting in August. Michael Posner also held a private meeting around this time with opposition members at which Nino Burjanadze, the leader of Democratic Movement-United Georgia, had mentioned that the issue of political prisoners is of the most controversial being discussed and some serious steps should be taken. “Concrete deadlines should be set for when the political prisoners will be released and when the repressions will stop, and this does not take months or years,” Burjanadze said.

During a press conference in November Deputy Foreign Minister Giga Bokeria had downplayed the allegations about political prisoners by saying that this was not an issue worth considering as there were none in Georgia. "Georgia is a country where criticism of the Government is a normal part of everyday life and that is how it should be,” Bokeria added. Parliamentary majority members state that the people described by the opposition as political prisoners are ordinary criminals and should be treated like other offenders.