Citizens Demand Bacho Akhalia’s Liability At the Protest Assemblies

Elene Chumburidze

On September 19, citizens participating in the protest rallies in Tbilisi express solidarity with prisoners. The demonstrators protest the cruelty images spread by TV-Companies TV-9 and Maestro on September 18. The released videos showed physical and moral assaults of the inmates of Gldani prison.

Citizens gathered in front of the Tbilisi Concert Hall (Philarmonia) expressed their concern regarding the facts that occurred in prisons and demanded not only resignation of high-ranking officials but their criminal liability too. They said resignation of only Minister of Corrections and Legal Aid Khatuna Kalmakhelidze cannot improve the general situation in prisons.

Humanrights.ge interviewed several participants of the demonstration.

Davit Liluashvili, chairman of the Coalition For Our Rights: “Today’s Georgian penitentiary system was established by Bacho Akhalaia, currently Minister of Interior. Shashkin and Kalmakhelidze, who replaced Akhalaia on the position of the Minister of Penitentiary System, continued the same methods of treatment of prisoners. And we saw those methods in the videos. So, not only their political responsibility must be raised, but the senior officials of this system must be punished under the law.”

Nikoloz Mzhavanadze, Union of Human Rights Defenders: “Any European leader would have resigned after similar fact. If Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili wants to finish his political career normally, he should resign. Otherwise, he will share the fate of Libyan dictator Gadaff.”

Georgian emigrants also joined the assembly who were particularly emotional. “I have not been in Georgia for last 18 years. I arrived here a month ago and I am shocked. Who wants to live in this country, should come out in the street! Everybody must resign who serve the National Movement now,” former emigrant Tsiala Lomidze said.

Irakli Tabliashvili, journalist: “Resignation of Minister Bacho Akhalaia might subdue this protest of people. However, on October 1, these people will make loud statement against this regime in Georgia.”

Irakli Kordzaia, journalist, human rights defender: What we saw yesterday was not news for us. But yesterday we saw the visual materials of these facts. We request Bacho Akhalaia’s resignation and punishment. It is also important for us to allow human rights organizations to carry out monitoring in penitentiary system which could conduct before 2004. If human rights defenders do not receive this right, we will have doubt similar cruelties occur in prisons during all governments.”

The main requirements of the assembly participants was resignation and criminal liability of Minister Bacho Akhalaia and all senior officials who are guilty in this crime.