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Compiled by Lisa Tonakanyan
Monday, June 13
Authority’s terror won’t stop us

The Representative Public Assembly's Nona Gaprindashvili spoke defiantly in an interview for newspaper Akhali Taoba. “I will only tell you that if we had said to people 'let’s go home', we would finally lose them. There were people, who wouldn’t forgive us for this. Those standing there were unanimous though if we had known that there would be such massacre, we would tell people to break up. But no one could imagine this. It really surprises me when people point at us. For what? What did we do wrong? We were getting ready for the concert. Poor Gia Gachechiladze was going to hold a concert, and you saw how he was beaten up”,

“An awful terror spread all around Georgia. They were rushing into our activists’ homes or arresting them. They impeded our activists from coming to Tbilisi by all means. We talked about this but there was not enough power in Georgia to protest against it and to stand next to us. If the politicians, the representatives of NGO’s and all others had raised their voices at that time and had supported us, maybe it wouldn’t happen. The deputies of the parliament had shown no sympathy while some people died, many were injured, many arrested and the families of those people were living in terror. The terror goes on’, Gaprindashvili emphasizes.

”We had not exceeded the bounds of the Constitution. The court must bring an action against those members of the top brass, who had dealt with such cruelty instead of arresting those ones who had made no guilt. The punishment is still continuing. The authority tries to strengthen the politics of intimidation, but nothing is eternal. We gather, discuss, plan our activities and we will act again in the frames of the Constitution”, Gaprindashvili assures.



Baghaturia on new initiative

The Member of Parliament, Jondi Bagaturia, along with the representatives of the Human Rights NGOs and the Public Defender, considered a new initiative, Akhali Taoba reports. According to the new legislative initiative of the Georgian Troupe, the Public Defender, if needed, will be authorized to study and analyze a case and to appeal to the relevant investigation bodies for investigation of persecution.

The Public Defender will also be able to conduct monitoring over the course of an investigation. "For the purpose of enhancing the Public Defender institution, we decided to provide the Public Defender with the additional tools, in order to allow him to implement remedial measures in a more effective manner. If he/she sees the signs of a violation of law, the criminal case shall be brought in accordance of his appeal,” Bagaturia stated. According to him, despite the fact that the Public Defender institute has recently been effective, it lacks the necessary tools. “Thus, the Public Defender shall have the right to conduct monitoring over the course of an investigation in order to avoid fabrication of the case,” the MP said.