Pre-election violent environment in Kvemo Kartli

Salome Chkheidze, Kvemo Kartli

 

During the pre-election period of 2020 Parliamentary Elections, a number of violent incidents were reported in some of the municipalities of Kvemo Kartli region, which could be assessed as politically motivated violent acts. According to some NGOs, the incidents are detrimental to a peaceful and fair election environment. 

 

Most of the incidents comes on Bolnisi municipality, where the supporters of the majoritarian candidates for the Georgian Dream and for the United Opposition collide.  The most notorious incident took place on September 27 in the village of Nakhiduri. According to United Opposition, the brother of Gogi Meshveliani, the majoritarian MP candidate for the Georgian Dream, broke into a tea parlour with dozens of supporters, attacking the opposition activists and physically assaulting them. Several activists suffered bodily injuries. Representatives of the Georgian Dream deny the allegations and accuse the opposition instead in instigations and physically attacking their supporters. The conflict continued also the next day in Bolnisi, when stones and bottles were thrown in protest at the cars moving in convoy from Tbilisi damaging one of the cars. 

 

On October 4, the prosecutor's office charged Arif Yusupov, a supporter of United National Movement and United Opposition, with a violence action remanding him on bail the next day. 

 

Several people were wounded as a result of the conflict and shootings near the local office of Georgian Dream in Dmanisi on September 21. According to the TV Company Mtavari Arkhi, the activists of ruling groups attacked each other with firearms at the campaign office of Georgian Dream. One of the participants in the arguments was Zurab Okmelashvili who is a figure within a criminal world, wounding three members of the campaign office with a firearm.

 

Gogi Meshveliani, the majoritarian candidate for Georgian Dream from Bolnisi, Dmanisi, Tetritskaro and Tsalka constituencies, identifies the signature of National Movement in the incident and says that the opposition wishes to do more harm to the election process and create an illusion of an illegitimate election environment.  "Both our activists and attackers are wounded. Our law enforcement agencies, I am certain, will investigate the attack very soon, and not only the participants but also the clients and initiators of the attack will be held liable.  This is the signature of National Movement, which is very easy to identify. The attackers came to the office of Georgian Dream and were looking for the head of the office of the district organization in order to physically assault him later leading to the conflict," Says Meshveliani in an interview with the Interpressnews. 

 

The investigation into the incident began under article 117 of the Criminal Code envisaging the intentional and severe damages to health and under the article 236 of the same Code envisaging the purchase and storage of firearms.  

 

It is worth to mention that during the events in Nakhiduri and Dmanisi, several media outlets were spreading in parallel mutually exclusive reports when covering the story.  Rabil Ismail, a longtime observer within HRC, says that at such times many media outlets or NGOs are confused because it is difficult to establish the truth.  

 

"In such cases it is important to follow the chronology. For example, during Nakhiduri incident, Arif Yusupov first aired a live reporting the information about the violent actions, and approximately four hours later, Imedi reported that members of Georgian Dream were also injured.  "This allows us to draw some conclusions," says Rabil Ismail. 

 

Regarding the physical confrontations taking place during the pre-election period, HRC released a special Appeal along with the recommendations emphasizing the particular aspect of the problem. "Additional problem stems from the fact that the reports about the incidents are covered and conveyed to the public differently by various TV companies as rarely a TV covers the incident in a balanced manner thus contributing even more to the polarization of the society. 

"It is important that TV companies comply with the requirements of the Law on Broadcasting and cover all facts and positions in the news programs in a balanced, non-discriminatory and pluralistic manner," states the appeal published by HRC.   

 

Marneuli also became a hot zone of the pre-election conflicts, where on September 29, some clashes between the supporters of United National Movement and Georgian Dream took place. The incident was caused by the issue of staffing the district election commissions. On the same evening, according to the available information, Lasha Kveladze, a supporter of National Movement and a member of the district election commission, along with three other persons was attacked. Physical assaults were also suffered by reporting crews of Mtavari Arkhi and Public Broadcaster and by Giorgi Mumladze, a representative of monitoring organization Platform 2020. Jeyhun Muhammad Ali, a reporter of the Mtavari Arkhi was hospitalized with injuries. The equipments of the reporters were also damaged.  

 

Two members of Georgian Dream and a member of United National Movement were detained in connection with the incidents. 

It should be noted that Jeyhun Muhammad Ali was also threatened and verbally abused in Bolnisi, where on September 16, Vugar Isayev, a member of the municipal assembly for the  Georgian Dream, allegedly threatened the reporter with a knife when the reporter was performing his professional duties.  

Speaking to HRC, Muhammad Ali says that the investigation has interviewed him on both cases of Marneuli and Bolnisi. Criminal cases are launched under the articles of violent actions and of interference with the activities of journalists, however he is not yet declared as a victim. "The investigation has not even questioned the main actors on the case, which provides for a ground to suspect that the investigation is only a formal procedure and that the police and investigative bodies are protecting the wrongdoers in the conflict, especially the representatives of Georgian Dream," Says Jeyhun Muhammad Ali. 

Mariam Latsabidze, an election analyst within Georgian Young Lawyers' Association, believes that there is a tendency for the investigation to begin, but then the witnesses are not interviewed in a timely manner, and therefore no one will be held liable. "This issue is really a problem. It is necessary to keep an eye on the investigation process and, most importantly, to inform the public about the results. Further, it is important to have an accurate subsumption of the case, as there were facts of both violence and interference into journalistic activities in Marneuli.  "Both are criminal offenses and the wrongdoers should be held liable also under that article, and not only under the article on violent actions," Mariam Latsabidze says talking with humanrights.ge.

 

Another victim of Marneuli incident, Giorgi Mumladze, the representative of Platform 2020 does not trust the investigation either and believes that the law enforcement agencies are protecting actual offenders. 

 

"The facts of physical violence against humans are evident from the disseminated footage, of which the investigation is also well aware.   It is very easy to identify the perpetrators, but none of them have been questioned so far. "I have a reasonable doubt that the police are interested in discontinuing the objective investigation, because in this case, beyond the persons involved in the conflict, that are related to the local government, the liability of the patrol officers would also emerge who were on the scene at that time and did not react," - says Giorgi Mumladze. 

On September 18, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Vakhtang Gomelauri, issued an order in connection with the Parliamentary Elections in Georgia, according to which, for the purpose to promote the elections in a safe and free environment in the regions, the relevant units of the police were instructed to ensure the appropriate measures within the territories of operation so that the pre-election campaigning take place in a peaceful and free environment.  

However, as can be seen from the number of facts of collisions, the enforcement of the order of the Interior Minister is not very successful.

Numerous other cases of violence were reported in Kvemo Kartli: 

• On October 1, unknown individuals damaged with stones the advertising van of Kakha Okriashvili, the candidate for United Opposition from Bolnisi majoritarian constituency, and on September 23, they attacked the campaign office of Okriashvili.  Some posters were torn down from Okriashvili's campaign office, further some video cameras were damaged and insulting words were written on the walls. Members of the opposition blame in this Gogi Meshveliani, the majoritarian MP candidate for Georgian Dream and his brother. 
•  On September 28, in the village of Sadakhlo in Marneuli, one of the activists of European Georgia was allegedly shot with a wind gun. The incident took place when an activist was placing an election banner in the village. An investigation has been launched under the article 120 of the Criminal Code, envisaging an intentional minor damage to health. 
•  On October 11, Okta Iskandarov, a member of the European Georgia, was reportedly attacked in village Karajala in Gardabani district. According to him, Georgian Dream activists attacked him.  The incident is being investigated.

The facts of the ongoing physical confrontations in Kvemo Kartli region were also covered by a pre-election report of the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED). 

"We call on the central and local authorities to investigate facts of harassment/intimidation against political party activists and supporters, as well as facts of interference with political party campaigns in a timely and effective manner.  We urge political parties to refrain and prevent their supporters from committing physical violence, not allow intimidation/harassment against opposing political party candidates and supporters,” reads the report published by the organization.

Sources used: 

• Appeal of HRC regarding the facts of violence revealed during the pre-election period: humanrights.ge/index.php?a=main&pid=20233&lang=geo

• Second Interim Report of Young Lawyers Association: gyla.ge/ge/post/saiam-2020-tslis-saparlamento-archevnebis-grdzelvadiani-sadamkvirveblo-misiis-meore-shualeduri-angarishi-moamzada#sthash.hQuiai6T.vARWvGLn.dpbs

• ISFED - 4th Interim Report of the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy: www.isfed.ge/geo/angarishebi/2020-tslis-saparlamento-archevnebis-monitoringis-IV-shualeduri-angarishi

• Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia on some of the measures ensuring the Parliamentary Elections of October 31, 2020 to held in a free, safe and peaceful environment: info.police.ge/uploads/5f69c2aeb49df.pdf

The article was written within the project Monitoring 2020 Parliamentary Elections in Georgia supported by Open Society Georgia Foundation. The views expressed in the articles may not necessarily represent the views of the donor.