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'There Is no Way to Peace; Peace Is the Way' - An Appeal to the Georgian Nation


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Appeal to International Organizations and Diplomatic Representatives in Georgia

Appeal to International Organizations and Diplomatic Representatives in Georgia

To the OSCE Mission to Georgia;
To the United Nations Representatives;
To the International Committee of the Red Cross Representatives;
To the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe;
To the Diplomatic Embassies in Georgia.

The Human Rights Information Centre expresses its concern about recent events occurring in the Kodori Gorge. According to our information, the ‘successful operation’ in Kodori has resulted in a total violation of the basic fundamental rights of the Gorge’s population. The Gorge is isolated from the view of observers from local and international organizations.

Our sources inform us that the peaceful population of this area is being searched illegally. During the course of recent events, no search warrants have been produced.

Innocent people are being detained and beaten in the Gorge; primarily the family members and relatives of people wanted by the authorities.

Members ‘Monadire Unit’ are not being given any kind of documentation to prove that they have handed in their arms.
 
Transportation along the only road (the Sakeni-Chuberi highway) linking the area to the rest of Georgia, is restricted for any vehicles that do not have an official legal explanation for being there.

The information received shows that there were three or four occasions where peaceful civilians were beaten by military personnel operating in the Gorge.

The planting of guns on people has also been witnessed.
According to various sources, 14 to17 people have been detained. Only 1 or 2 of these people were actually wanted earlier, the rest are family members or relatives of the wanted men, who have guns planted on them.

It is notable, that only 1 or 2 people of those detained had been wanted for having committed the crimes in the past, such as murder, robbery or other serious offences. The available information shows that almost every person who is actually wanted for past offences escaped. The only ones detained are those who committed no crime in the past, had no previous problems with the police and who remained in their homes.
 
Our information shows that the authorities have detained relatives of the wanted men on the basis of a proviso: “Let your brother, (father, son, etc.) turn himself in and you will be released”.

There have also been occasions when the detention (and the planting of a gun on someone) takes place as a result of some private quarrel; a local policeman, offended by somebody, for some reason or other in the past, gives false information to high-ranking police officials, and special operations are subsequently held against that person.

During these detentions, those who are arrested are not told the reason for their detention nor are they explained their rights.

The village of Chkhalta, with its peaceful population, was bombed, despite the fact that no hostilities were taking place and none of Kvitsiani’s people were there. The bombing resulted in the death of one citizen. The legality of Chkhalta’s bombing must be ascertained - who ordered the bombing of the village and why?

It is notable that between 1993 and 1995, during the hostilities against Basaev, Bagramian’s units, Kazaks and other militants, no Kodori villages were bombed by the air force. The houses of the Gorge’s inhabitants were also not bombed in 2001, when Ruslan Gelaev’s militants were threatening the Abkhazians.

One of the most worrying incidents was the switching off of the ‘Magticom’ cellular network masts in the Kodori Gorge for 3-4 days. The shutting down of the towers was done under Government orders that had no legal basis. As far as society was aware, emergency powers were not announced by the government, raising further concerns about the illegality of these events. 

In response to the above incidents, international monitoring of the human rights situation in the Kodori Gorge must commence immediately and by all possible means. International organizations are requested to take part in the monitoring process together with Georgian NGOs and representatives of the diplomatic missions within Georgia.

Groups responsible for defending human rights must have a continuous presence in the Gorge, to prevent further violations of the human rights of the local population. International and other human rights organizations must also be informed about the human rights situation in the Kodori Gorge.  

7 Aug. '06

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