Statements

The undersigning organizations are alarmed by the assault on Auditor General of Georgia Lasha Tordia. According to the statement made by Lasha Tordia, he was attacked by Otar Partskhaladze, a former General Prosecutor of Georgia, who physically assaulted the Auditor General together with his personal security, which is especially alarming. The victim has stated that the assault was related to a specific case investigated by the State Audit Office of Georgia about transfer of plots of land in 2016. According to the Auditor General, Otar Partskhaladze is involved in the case. 

Later it was reported that the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia launched the investigation under Article 126 of the Criminal Code of Georgia (battery and other violent acts). However, assaulting the head of a constitutional body possibly in connection to official activities of the body, should not be qualified as battery or violence. Rather, qualification of the crime should also entail signs of a crime committed against governance and more specifically, violence against a government official in relation to his official capacity. 

Because this is an assault on the head of a constitutional body possibly involving a former general prosecutor Otar Pirtskhaladze, whose informal influences on the law enforcement authorities have raised questions in the society, it is important that the investigation is conducted by the investigative commission of the Parliament of Georgia. Otherwise, it will not be perceived as credible by the public. 

Here we must also note that in the recent period public has witnessed multiple violent acts that the law enforcement authorities have failed to investigate effectively. In some of these cases, victims have alleged involvement of representatives of law enforcement agencies. Unfortunately, the current law enforcement system has failed to demonstrate its readiness to take effective actions in response to such cases as the investigations continue to be delayed endlessly. Such impunity has led to the proliferation of violent acts in the public space and has created a sense of insecurity. It is especially alarming that these facts possibly involve former or current officials. These facts and the trend of ineffective investigations once again demonstrates the urgency of setting up an independent investigative mechanism in a timely manner for investigation of cases with possible involvement of law enforcement bodies. 

We urge:

1. The investigative agencies to disclose in a timely manner information about investigative actions that have been conducted so far; 

2. The Parliament of Georgia to create an ad hoc investigative commission for timely and impartial investigation of the case;

3. The Government of Georgia and the Parliament of Georgia to take timely steps for combating the problem of impunity and create an effective independent investigative mechanism.

 

Transparency International Georgia

Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC)

Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association

Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI)

International Society of Fair Elections and Democracy

Partnership for Human Rights (PHR)

Article 42 of the Constitution

CIDA