Opposition Criticizes Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili List
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Thursday, June 28
Members of the parliamentary opposition have criticized the 33-member Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili list, which should have included people who have violated the rights of Georgian nationals in the country’s occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions since the 1990s.
The opposition says that the list lacks the citizens of Russia, who “at least concealed the crimes” against Georgian citizens.
They also stated that some people included in the list are already dead.
"Unfortunately, none of the citizens of the Russian Federation was put on the Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili list. In particular, there are no representatives of the occupational forces who are directly involved in the effective control and are often responsible for not only the crime, but also for covering up the crimes,” the European Georgia opposition member Sergi Kapanadze stated.
“One of these irresponsible attitudes is that, unfortunately, there are dead people on the list. This shows the government’s attitude to this topic. This is a very important list. This is a list that sends a specific message to people in the occupied territories who violate the rights of Georgian citizens or may violate them in the future," Kapanadze, who initiated the creation of the list, told the media on Wednesday.
The Georgian Dream ruling party parliamentary majority leader Archil Talakvadze responded that the Government of Georgia has not received any official information regarding the death of some individuals included in the list.
"Misinterpreting the issue is incorrect and a useless attempt. We will continue our peace initiatives. As for the criminals, they will be brought before justice. The list is not completed and it may change,” said Talakvadze.
The Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze stated that the list will be expanded and all executors will be included in it.
The Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili List has been submitted to the Parliament of Georgia. The blacklisted persons are convicted of or charged with grave crimes committed against the citizens of Georgia in the occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) since 1990.
Otkhozoria and Tatunashvili are the surnames of the Georgian citizens who were killed by Russia-controlled people in the occupied Tskhinvali region in 2015 and in 2018.
