Web Portal on Human Rights in Georgia

What kind of problems can people encounter when they take part in court proceedings and do not know the Georgian language? Some lawyers think they will come across serious obstacles at court hearings because of a lack of qualified interpreters.

Vazha Baghashvili, a resident of the village of Bodbe in the Sighnagi District blamed Nodar Anulashvili, an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, for having murdered his nineteen-year-old son, Zviad Baghashvili. The father claimed that the murderer was promoted instead of being punished. He works at the General Inspections of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

On September 27, Irakli Okruashvili, former Georgian Defense Ministry and current leader of the “Movement for United Georgia” was detained and accused under four chapters of Georgian Criminal Code. Prosecutor’s Office suspected him for misusing his power, accepting bribe, money laundering and negligence. Tbilisi Civil Court will discuss his case on September 29 and sentence him to pre-trial detention. Eka Beselia, attorney for former Defense Ministry, stated that Okruashvili denies accusations against him and considers he is a political prisoner.

Gori Criminal police detained eighty-year-old man. He is accused for a grave crime-kidnap and attempt of selling the child. On September 3, Gori District Court sentenced Giorgi Tskhovrebashvili to two-month-pretrial detention. Nana Jamaspishvili, mother of the child, cannot see any reason for the old man’s detention because she trusted the child without any problems.

,,It was very abusive for me, when they said, that Bebiashvili was not convicted, but it did not mean, that she was not guilty. I did not know that working in the school during 15 years is a crime. I demand to show me the documents, proving my crime”, - declared Nana Bebiashvili on the sitting of the Kutaisi court, when the representative of Prosecutor office demanded 13 years imprisonment.

Early in August, frontier police detained three Nigerian citizens. They were accused for illegal crossing the border. Nigerian citizens say that they have not violated the law. They are concerned about their spoilt holiday rather than the money they have to pay as a bail.

There is only one interpreter at Batumi Civil Court. In other district courts throughout the Adjara Region there is no interpreter at all. Citizens, who do not know Georgian language, claim that cannot understand statements made during trials. Public Defender’s Office states that it is violation of rights of national minorities. At least one trial is held at Batumi Civil Court a day and interpreter is obliged to attend all of them.

Prisoner Shorena Gegelishvili, who is ill with tuberculosis, was to be released on August 8. But several days ago she was sentenced to two-month pre-trial detention and nobody interrogated her regarding the fact. Judge and her assistant are on holiday and Nestan Londaridze, lawyer for Human Rights Center (HRIDC), who protects Gegelishvili’s interests, cannot study the case properly. The prisoner was on a hunger strike for several days in protest but because of health problems she was obliged to stop the protest today.

Chechen Vahid Albastov has been in Pretrial Detention Setting for four months already for illegal crossing of border. Four-month-stay in prison has so much changed the prisoner that his lawyer, Nino Andriashvili, who represents Human Rights Center (HRIDC), could not recognize the client.

Vitali Gamkhuashvili has served his imprisonment term for a year already. He pleads himself guilty and urges for pardon. Initially Kharagauli District Court and then Kutaisi Appeal Court sentenced twenty-two-year-old Gamkhuashvili to three-year-imprisonment. None of the court instances took into consideration that the accused was sick with blood cancer.