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From
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"- caucazya" <caucazya@hotmail.com>
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Date
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Sun, 16 Apr 2000 09:27:12 GMT
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Subject
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globe_l: Are there political prisoners in Georgia ? (extrait de Human Rights in Georgia)
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>ARE THERE POLITICAL PRISONERS IN GEORGIA?
>
> Presently, the topic of political prisoners causes a great disturbance
>in Georgia. International organizations for human rights and Georgian
>political parties tried to bring the state of the political prisoners to
>the attention of Georgian government. Subsequent to these efforts, Georgian
>officials have become more active towards the problem of political
>prisoners. Mr. Eduard Shevardnadze, the President of Georgia, announced: ""
>would be ashamed to be not only a President, but even an ordinary citizen
>of the country, where political prisoners exist. Thatís why you should find
>out, whether such people are imprisoned in our country and justice bodies
>should be held fully responsible for it".
> The heads of law-enforcement bodies (Procurator General, Chairman of
>Supreme Court, Justice Minister, Internal Minister, etc.), followed with
>their statement on this issue. On December 10 ñ as international day for
>human rights ñ they participated in a two-hour program on human rights and
>political prisoners in Georgia. The same day President Shevardnadze
>submitted a letter to Georgian Parliament on the aforementioned questions.
> All representatives of the authority categorically deny that political
>opposition claims the opposite ñ there are numerous political prisoners in
>Georgia. In the light of such speculations, the position of the
>non-governmental organizations on human rights becomes crucial for these
>establishments are impartial to political motivations.
> I do not want to interfere with political debates. Thatís why I have
>conducted my own research among the representatives of political parties
>and other interested groups on the issues of political prisoners in
>Georgia.
> It appeared, that a term political prisoner has various, if not
>different, interpretation among political parties and individuals. For
>example, Amnesty International defines "a political prisoner" as a person,
>who has committed criminal offences for political motives. If we embrace
>this definition, anyone committing a murder or a robbery with a motive of
>struggling against the authority, is a political prisoner. Amnesty
>International does not release the political prisoners from criminal
>responsibility for their illegal action. However, it demands that these
>people should be guaranteed fair and timely trial. As for people arrested
>for their own political or religious convictions, Amnesty International
>considers them to be prisoners of conscience and demands their immediate
>release.
> Other international organizations for human rights have different
>approaches defining the term "political prisoner". For example, a famous
>human rights activist Yuri Orlov thinks: "A person, who commits a criminal
>offence for political motives, provided this crime does violate the rights
>and freedoms of another person, is considered a political prisoner."
>According to this logic, if an innocent person was victimized by a
>terrorist act conducted for political purposes, the terrorist can not be
>considered a political prisoner. A famous Polish human rights activist
>Marek Novitsky shares the same position. In connection to this approach, I
>recollect a fact from the recent history of the United Kingdom. In 1980s,
>Irish terrorists kept in British prisons, demanded from the British
>authorities to be recognized as political prisoners. They even went on
>chain hunger strike, after his death the second one continued and so on.
>Although chain hunger strike continued for one year and 10 prisoners died,
>the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher did not compromise. She said: "We have
>arrested them not for their political convictions, but for particular
>terrorist acts that coasted many innocent lives." Ironically, the Soviet
>Union actively supported the Irish terrorists and regarded them as
>political prisoners, while many were suffering in Soviet prisons for their
>ideas or spreading anti-Soviet literature. It is not hard to conclude that
>politicians manipulate the theme of political prisoners in their own
>political interests.
> I am providing the options of Georgian politicians about the definition
>of "a political prisoner" and their attitude towards the prisoners of this
>category.
>Mr. Mikheil Saakashvili, (the member of the Parliament): "Only those
>persons can be considered political prisoners, who are arrested not for
>criminal offences, but for their political convictions. Hence, political
>prisoners do not exist in Georgia at present".
>Mr. Tengiz Sigua, (the former Prime Minister of Georgia): "For example, the
>former prefect of Samtredia region Mr. Zviad Dzidziguri is a real political
>prisoner. I know him personally, since he was a prefect while I was a Prime
>Minister. I can not understand why he was sentenced to 14 years of
>imprisonment. The same can be said about Mr. Jamlet Bokuchava. Both of them
>were fighting for their own political convictions."
>Mrs. Irina sarishvili-Chanturia (the Chairman of National-Democratic
>party): "A political prisoner is a person, who has not committed a criminal
>offence and it arrested only for his political convictions. The authority
>has itself caused such a situation, since it has not arrested those obvious
>guilty, until they contradicted the authority politically. It concerns the
>head of "Mkhedrioni" and others. Mr. Loti Kobalia, who is accused of high
>treason, was not arrested until he challenged the authority politically.
>Thus, we have no political prisoners, though the existing tendency
>negatively disposes a great part of the society."
>Mr. Giorgi Kervalishvili, (the Chairman of the Georgian Association for
>Human Rights) announces that more than one hundred political prisoners are
>in Georgia today.
> Since there is no common criterion defining the status of a political
>prisoner in Georgia. If we adopt the definition by Amnesty International,
>we can conclude that there are more than one hundred political prisoners
>are in Georgia today. However, if we define a political prisoner only as a
>person, accused of anti-state political convictions and propaganda, then
>political prisoners really do not exist in present Georgia. We shall
>emphasize Mrs. Sarishviliís opinion that Georgian authority paid no
>attention to the crimes of many groups or individuals, until they
>challenged the state ideology. There are many facts when the authority
>ignored somebodyís crime, while the letter was its ally; however, as soon
>as he become an opponent to the authority, the authority would suddenly
>"remember" about his criminal activities. Such authority could easily
>accuse its political opponents of non-existent crimes. The tendency Mrs.
>Sarishvili emphasizes about is already evident Georgia and it is supported
>by the examples of Zviad Dzidziguri, Valter Shurgaia, Soso Zhgenti and
>others.
> Hence, one thing is clear for me: with its little regard for due
>process, the authority has created firm ground for transforming political
>opponents into defendants or even accused. Until the court reform is not
>carried out and the court reform does not become truly independent, it will
>be impossible to speak about objective due process in Georgia.
>By Gela Nikolaishvili
>
>Executive Director,
>
>NGO "Former Political Prisoner for Human Rights"
>
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