Soldiers Defending their Rights Blamed in Treason

Soldiers Defending their Rights Blamed in Treason

On Decemeber 19, 72 soldiers left the place of dislocation and arrived in Tbilisi protesting the intolerable social conditions in Mukhrovani Military Unit, 8th Regiment.. Being in the Military Unit was so unbearable for the soldiers that they even preferred going to prison to returning to the 8th Regiment. As the soldiers complained to the Ombudsman, besides unbearable conditions in the unit they had also often become victims of physical insult and humiliation from the side of the military authorities, what caused serious aggravation of the relations between the authorities and the conscripts. The soldiers were ready to go to prison but not to go back to the unit. Some of them even threatened to commit a suicide. A military servant is protected by the state and his/her life, health, honor and reputation is protected by law, but the government neglects these concepts guaranteed by the law. The most alarming thing is that Public Defender’s Office refused to defend the rights of the soldiers guaranteed by international law and local legislation and even called them traitors despite the fact that it is directly in the functions of the Public Defender’s Office to defend the rights of the people whose rights are violated by the government.
 
The action of 72 soldiers who willfully left Mukhrovani Military Unit seriously affected the image of the government and revealed the real situation existing in the interior military forces of the country. On December 19, at 8 o’clock in the evening 72 soldiers left the place of dislocation and arrived in Tbilisi from Muhkrovani Military Unit as a sign of protest. The soldiers went about 25 kilometers on foot to Lilo, then they went to the State Chancellery by means of transport where they held a protest action demanding improvement of social conditions. The soldiers were demanding the improvement of the minimal living conditions which is necessary for every human being. The soldiers’ action aimed at meeting with representatives of the government and speaking about the heavy conditions in the military service, namely about the unbearable conditions they escaped from such as poor feeding, not enough clothes, cold; despite the fact that renovation work had been done in the unit due to the lack of water the soldiers did not manage to wash. Military units are well provided with food, but soldiers are given meat dish only 2 or 3 times a month. What is most alarming the soldiers were humiliated by the military authorities of the unit, beatings also took place and as the soldiers say conscripts were made to fulfill different kind of work not connected with military service.

Being in Mukhrovani Military Unit became so intolerable that soldiers even preferred going to prison to going back to the regiment; some of them even threatened with committing suicide.

As according to the legislation a military servant is forbidden to organize or participate in meetings and manifestations Irakli Sesiashvili, Military Ombudsman convinced the soldiers to move to Public Defender’s Office and continue the protest action there.

After the action in the very evening the soldiers were taken to Security Ministry and there under threat of physical punishment using psychological and forcible methods the soldiers were made to change their evidence about heavy social conditions existing in the unit. The next day Military Ombudsman tried to enter the 8th Regiment and he is granted this right according to the Organic Law on Public Defender, but despite the fact that his non-admission in the Regiment was punishable by law he was not admitted there; furthermore, Public Defender did not react to the fact. The inactivity of the Public Defender’s Apparatus caused the resignation of Irakli Sesiashvili, Military Ombudsman. “The main reason of my resignation was that the government had improper reaction to the happening and instead of punishing the military authorities who are guilty of the heavy social conditions the soldiers have to live in, they want to shift all the blame onto the soldiers and make them bear all the responsibility. In any civilized country if the case was such the military authorities would be severely punished .But as we could see the government had quite a different reaction” – stated Irakli Sesiashvili.

The occasion that took place in Mukhrovani put the impartiality and independence of Public Defender’s Apparatus under question as instead of defending the rights of the soldiers, clarifying the reason of their protest Public Defender’s Office did completely nothing. Moreover, Bacho Akhalaia, Deputy Public Defender assumed a role of a prosecutor, called the soldiers deserters and almost traitors. He called on the soldiers to leave the territory of Public Defender’s Office.

“Sozar Subaru, Public Defender is well aware of the situation and knows that he was to defend the rights of the soldiers but, unfortunately, he was not able to endure the pressure from the government and blamed me in inadequate action” – stated Former Military Ombudsman.

For the time being soldiers have returned to the Military Unit hoping for improvement of social conditions. Criminal case has not been brought against them. Sesiashvili states that in case the criminal case is brought he and his attorneys are ready to defend their rights.