Delayed Cases at Prosecutor’s Office

Natia Gogolashvili

On April 2, representatives of Human Rights Center held press-conference. They called on the  Department to Investigate Offenses Committed in the Course of Legal Proceedings at the Chief Prosecutor’s Office to timely and effectively investigate delayed cases. 

Executive director of Human Rights Center Aleko Tskitishvili said ineffective reaction of the state and investigative bodies to the possible violations committed by law enforcement officers has been systemic problem for years.

“Effective and timely investigation has not started into the cases processed by Human Rights Center. People, who were victims of torture and inhuman treatment or were damaged by illegal activities of law enforcement officers in the past, do not hold victim status either. Human Rights Center believes delay in the investigation of these cases causes additional recrudescence like assassination of former political prisoner Besik Khardziani a few days ago. Human Rights Center considers this accident as possible continuation of Yuri Vazagashvili’s vandal murder that is directed against people who struggle for the restoration of justice,” Aleko Tskitishvili said. 

After 2012 Parliamentary Elections Human Rights Center sent several applications to the Chief Prosecutor’s Office and requested timely and effective investigation into alleged facts of torture and inhuman treatment. Investigation into majority of our complaints is ineffective.

“We request effective investigation into the cases of former political prisoners. For example, case of Vakhtang Maisaia, case of political prisoners from Kintsvisi, Zaza Azariashvili’s case. Human Rights Center processes four cases where police officers allegedly ill-treated citizens and the lawyers of the organization request effective probe into those facts too. However, it is not within the competence of the recently established department, because they have time limit; thus, we are not aware what kind of impartial and objective mechanism the new department at the Prosecutor’s Office will use to investigate alleged abuse of power by police officers. It is important that to ensure impartial investigation into the cases of alleged abuse of power by police officers,” head of legal aid service Tamar Avaliani said at the press-conference.

“We think that cases which refer to increased penalties require particular attention. For example Rasoyan’s case.  11 years of imprisonment was added to his term in prison; he was charged for the membership of criminal world. The Center has applied to the prosecutor’s office several times; we applied to the President for pardon act but unfortunately there is no reaction,” lawyer Nestan Londaridze of Human Rights Center said.

Human Rights Center calls on the Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee at the Parliament of Georgia to ensure effective parliamentary control over the activities of the recently established department of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office.