DOCSLIB.ORG

Pre-Election Monitoring of October 8, 2016 Parliamentary Elections Fourth Interim Report September 2 – October 1

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Pre-Election Monitoring of October 8, 2016 Parliamentary Elections Fourth Interim Report September 2 – October 1 International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy Pre-Election Monitoring of October 8, 2016 Parliamentary Elections Fourth Interim Report September 2 – October 1 Publishing this report is made possible by the generous support of the American people, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The views expressed in this report belong solely to ISFED and may not necessarily reflect the views of the USAID, the United States Government and the NED. I. Introduction The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy has been monitoring October 8, 2016 elections of the Parliament of Georgia and Adjara Supreme Council since July 1, with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The fourth interim report of the pre-election monitoring covers the period from September 2 to October 1, 2016, as well as developments that began to unfold before September 1 and continued during the monitoring period. II. Key Findings During the reporting period campaigning moved into a particularly active phase. ISFED observers monitored 643 meetings held by political subjects from September 1 to October 1. Alongside the active pre-election campaign, election violation incidents grew considerably, jeopardizing free and fair pre-election environment. During the reporting period ISFED detected 3 cases of alleged political dismissals; 11 cases of intimidation/harassment; 12 cases of misuse of administrative resources; 8 cases of interference with campaigning; 6 cases of physical violence; 4 cases of possible vote buying; 2 cases of vandalizing party offices; 37 cases of destroying campaign materials; 4 cases of using hate speech; 8 cases of campaigning by unauthorized individuals. Alarming incidents of violence between political opponents and activists have been identified during the period leading up to the elections. Activists and supporters of opposition parties as well as the ruling party suffered injuries as a result of use of force and cold weapons. People have been hospitalized following these incidents. Subsequent investigations have been launched. As the election date approaches, acts of harassment/intimidation against opposition members and activists on alleged political grounds are growing considerably. Mostly representatives of opposition electoral subjects are targeted by various forms of harassment and intimidation. During the reporting period representatives of opposition parties reported verbal threats, threatening by removal of social benefits, and other forms of intimidation to ISFED observers. ISFED detected instances of possible intimidation in relation to the process of election of precinct electoral commission (PEC) leaders. In PECs where members appointed by opposition parties were elected on key positions (PEC Chair, PEC Secretary), PEC members that participated in voting later resigned. PEC protocol was doctored in one case to replace the name of elected PEC Secretary with the name of another PEC member. Interference with campaign events of competitors occurred often. Meetings of parties were mostly attended by local self-government employees with opposing political views, trying to interfere with campaigning using different methods. Notably, on September 14, the Inter-Agency Commission adopted a recommendation to political parties and electoral subjects1, urging them to take all possible measures to ensure that their activists and supporters refrain from attending pre-election meetings of rival political parties or their supporters, as well as from staging a counter-rally against these meetings, in order to eliminate all risks of verbal or physical confrontation on political grounds. In addition, upon the initiative of the Minister of Justice, 11 political parties have joined a campaign against violence during pre-election period and have condemned violence in a special video entitled “Violence Harms Elections” 2. Despite these initiatives, acts of physical violence and interference with campaigning targeting political opponents have grown. 1 Recommendations of the Inter-Agency Commission for Free and Fair Elections available at: http://www.justice.gov.ge/Ministry/Index/487 2 The video titled Violence Harms Elections, September 17, 2016, available at: https://www.facebook.com/MinistryofJusticeofGeorgia/videos/1054089911306256/ Incidents that involved damaging of campaign materials – party flags, posters and banners – have grown considerably and mostly include tearing down of posters, and placing posters of an electoral subject over posters of another electoral subject. With only a few exceptions, it was impossible to identify the perpetrators. These incidents affected campaign materials of virtually every political party. The Inter- Agency Commission for Free and Fair Elections adopted a subsequent recommendation3 urging political parties/electoral subjects to “issue clear instructions that their activists and representatives are categorically prohibited from removing, tearing down, covering, damaging or illegally interfering with placement of campaign materials of a competitor (electoral subject).” The reporting period was marked by a growing trend of abuse of administrative resources, mostly by local self-governments, in favor of the ruling party. ISFED detected production and free of charge distribution of print materials for campaigning, use of buildings, campaigning during events funded from the State budget by event organizers, which is prohibited under the Election Code. Some municipalities have been using text-messaging service to keep individual citizens informed about status of certain projects. These initiatives of local municipalities may amount to a form of influencing will of voters and contain signs of misuse of administrative resources. During the reporting period, the pre-election campaign by the electoral subject Davit Tarkhan Mouravi, Irma Inashvili – Alliance of Patriots of Georgia was marked by clear xenophobic calls. Some majoritarian candidates and active members of the party were using hate speech during campaigning. The party produced and released a pre-election advertisement where it made anti-Turkish remarks and urged voters to assemble for expressing their anti-Turkish stance. The CEC is currently examining use of hate speech in the campaign video. Illegal wiretapping of politically active individuals continued during the pre-election period. An audio recording of a conversation that allegedly took place between Mikheil Saakashvili, former president of Georgia, and some UNM members was leaked on the Internet. The video recording suggests that these individuals are debating a revolutionary scenario for the electoral processes. Leaking of the recording was preceded by statements made by representatives of the ruling political party, alleging that the UNM was planning to cause a destabilization and unrest for the elections. The investigative authorities should launch an effective and impartial investigation for determining authenticity of the video recordings and whether the alleged criminal intentions are real, as well as for combating the crime of illegal wiretapping. 3 Recommendation of the Inter-Agency Commission for Free and Fair Elections, dated September 22, 2016, available at: http://www.justice.gov.ge/News/Detail?newsId=5279 III. Recommendations Electoral subjects/political parties should: act responsibly and refrain from confrontation and violence, as well as from making any statements that may incite violence and confrontation; abide by ethical norms while on air on TV or in public space, refrain from manifesting any aggression and engage in debates in a constructive manner; stop mobilizing their supporters for public meetings of rival parties/electoral subjects and prevent their supporters from attending these meetings; while on air on TV, during their public speeches an campaign meetings refrain from forms of expression directed against a certain individual or a group of individuals, on the account of their social background, ethnicity, race, gender, age, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, language, ideology, social class, work, etc.; during pre-election process refrain from forms of campaigning that contain signs of vote buying and serve to have a negative impact on their free will; stop providing, promising or enticing voters with money, gifts, services through their representatives or legal entities associated with them. Local self-governments should: refrain from amending their budgets before the end of elections, for launching new social and infrastructural projects; prevent campaigning during events funded from the State budget, in favor or against an electoral subject; prevent dismissals of local government employees on political grounds; instruct local self-government employees about their rights and responsibilities during pre- election period; not abuse property of local self-government, including means of communication and transportation, in favor of an electoral party or for participation in a campaign. To ensure fulfillment of campaigning rules: clergymen, aliens, members of the electoral administration and other individuals that are prohibited from participating in a pre-election campaign, should refrain from participating in the pre-election campaign. IV. Instances of Dismissals on Alleged Political Grounds Telavi On September 5, local media reported that Telavi
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Gdsc 2019 1 H.E
    GDSC 2019 1 H.E. Salome Zourabichvili President of Georgia 2 H.E. Giorgi Gakharia Prime Minister of Georgia 3 Mr. Archil Talakvadze Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia 4 Mr. Irakli Garibashvili Minister of Defence of Georgia 5 Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) United States House of Representatives 6 LT. GEN. Christopher Cavoli USAREUR Commander 7 Ms. Rose Gottemoeller Former NATO Deputy Secretary General 8 Mr. Davit Tonoyan Minister of Defence of the Republic of Armenia Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the 9 H.E. Hubert Knirsch Federal Republic of Germany to Georgia 10 Ms. Rosaria Puglisi DeputyHead of Ministerthe NATO of LiaisonNational Office Defence in Georgia of the Republic 11 Mr. Yunus Emre Karaosmanoğlu Deputyof Turkey Minister of Defence of of the Republic of 12 Lt. Gen. Atanas Zapryanov (Ret.) Bulgaria 13 Mr. Lasha Darsalia Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia 14 Mr. Vytautas Umbrasas Vice-Minister of Defence of the Republic of Lithuania 15 Mr. Adam Reichardt SeniorEditor-in-Chief Research ofFellow, New EasternRoyal United Europe Services 16 Mr. Ewan Lawson Institute 17 Maj. Gen. (ret.) Harri Ohra-aho AmbassadorMinisterial Adviser, Extraordinary Ministry and of Plenipotentiary Defence of Finland of 18 H.E. Ihor Dolhov Ukraine to Georgia Ambassador-at-Large for Hybrid Threats, Ministry of 19 Amb. Eitvydas Bajarūnas ChargéForeign d’Affaires,Affairs of thea.i. Republicthe Embassy of Lithuania of the USA to 20 Ms. Elizabeth Rood Georgia Brigadier General Randall Simmons 21 JR. Director,Commanding Defense General Institution Georgia and Army Capacity National Building, Guard 22 Mr. Marc Di Paolo NATO 23 Vice Adm.
    [Show full text]
  • Pre-Election Monitoring of October 8, 2016 Parliamentary Elections Second Interim Report July 17 - August 8
    International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy Pre-Election Monitoring of October 8, 2016 Parliamentary Elections Second Interim Report July 17 - August 8 Publishing this report is made possible by the generous support of the American people, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The views expressed in this report belong solely to ISFED and may not necessarily reflect the views of the USAID, the United States Government and the NED. 1. Introduction The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) has been monitoring October 8, 2016 elections of the Parliament of Georgia and Ajara Supreme Council since July 1, with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The present report covers the period from July 18 to August 8, 2016. 2. Key Findings Compared to the previous reporting period, campaigning by political parties and candidates has become more intense. ISFED long-term observers (LTOs) monitored a total of 114 meetings of electoral subjects with voters throughout Georgia, from July 18 through August 7. As the election campaigning moved into a more active phase, the number of election violations grew considerably. Failure of relevant authorities to take adequate actions in response to these violations may pose a threat to free and fair electoral environment. During the reporting period ISFED found 4 instances of intimidation/harassment based on political affiliation, 2 cases of physical violence, 3 cases of possible vote buying, 4 cases of campaigning by unauthorized persons, 8 cases of misuse of administrative resources, 4 cases of interference with pre- election campaigning, 4 cases of use of hate speech, 7 cases of local self-governments making changes in budgets for social and infrastructure projects; 3 cases of misconduct by election commission members.
    [Show full text]
  • The Relevance of the Actual Values of the Political Actors of Georgia with the Ideologies Declared by Them
    The Relevance of the Actual Values of the Political Actors of Georgia with the Ideologies Declared by Them Dr. Maia Urushadze1, Dr. Tamar Kiknadze2 1Caucasus International University 2Head of the Doctoral Program in Political Science, Caucasus International University Abstract The permanent ideological impact of the propaganda narratives of powerful political entities on the international community is perceived as one of the most important challenges of the 21st century. The international agenda is full of controversial interpretations, produced by powerful international political actors. As a result, the international media agenda is getting like the battlespace for the struggle of interpretations, where the ruthless kind of "frame-games" between the strongest global agenda-setting political entities takes place. The information field is open for all countries, including the small states, where political parties are not strong enough to have their propaganda to resist the ideological pressure from outside. Due to this, the societies of these countries are still easily influenced by the narratives of global political actors creating a suitable psychological environment for internal conflicts in societies. We consider Georgia among these states. Therefore, our research aimed to study the relevance of the actual values of local (Georgian) political actors with the ideologies declared by them. In this regard, our primary objective was to understand the specifics of strategic communication of local political actors, then, to compare their narratives with the rhetoric of international actors, and finally, to determine the strength of local society's resistance to these narratives. We hope that in this way we can assess the long-term impact of global actors’ propaganda communication could have on a small country.
    [Show full text]
  • Parliament of Georgia in 2019
    Assessment of the Performance of the Parliament of Georgia in 2019 TBILISI, 2020 Head of Research: Lika Sajaia Lead researcher: Tamar Tatanashvili Researcher: Gigi Chikhladze George Topouria We would like to thank the interns of Transparency International of Georgia for participating in the research: Marita Gorgoladze, Guri Baliashvili, Giorgi Shukvani, Mariam Modebadze. The report was prepared with the financial assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway Contents Research Methodology __________________________________________________ 8 Chapter 1. Main Findings _________________________________________________ 9 Chapter 2. General Information about the Parliament ____________________ 12 Chapter 3. General Statistics ____________________________________________ 14 Chapter 4. Important events ______________________________________________ 16 4.1 Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (chaired by Russian Duma Deputy Gavrilov) and a wave of protests _________________________________ 16 4.2 Failure of the proportional election system __________________________ 17 4.3 Election of Supreme Court judges ____________________________________ 19 4.4 Abolishing Nikanor Melia’s immunity and terminating his parliamentary mandate ________________________________________________________________ 20 4.5 Changes in the Composition of Parliamentary Subjects _______________ 20 4.6 Vote of Confidence in the Government _____________________________ 21 4.7 Report of the President ______________________________________________ 21 Chapter
    [Show full text]
  • Pre-Election Media Monitoring, Interim Report
    PRE-ELECTION MEDIA MONITORING INTERIM REPORT მედიის განვითარების ფონდი MEDIA DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION 1 APRIL - 31 JULY, 2016 Authors: TAMAR KHORBALADZE Peer review: JEAN MARIE COAT, FPU Expert Researchers: TAMAR GAGNIASHVILI, SOPHO GOGADZE, KHATIA LOMIDZE, ROMAN BAINDURASHVILI, TAMAR SOPROMADZE, TINA GOGOLADZE, IRAKLI TSKHADADZE, MARIAM TSUTSKIRIDZE, NATIA GOGELIA, NATIA GOGOLASHVILI, DALI KURDADZE Editor: TAMAR KINTSURASHVILI Designed by BESIK DANELIA / IBDesign The report is prepared by Media Development Foundation (MDF) in the framework of the project “Transparent and Accountable Media for Enhancing Democratic Practices during Elections” supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Georgia. The contents of this report is the sole responsibility of the MDF and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Embassy. ©2016, MEDIA DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION MDFGEORGIA.GE MEDIAMETER.GE/GE Media Development Foundation (MDF) is conducting a pre-election media monitoring from April 1 to October 31, 2016. The monitoring is carried out with the financial support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Georgia within the frame of the project Transparent and Accountable Media for Enhancing Democratic Practices during Elections. The aim of the project is to study how political subjects are represented in qualitative and quantitative terms in primetime news programs of TV channels and in online media; to clarify whether media provides citizens with relevant information to help them make an informed choice. The aim of the project also is to reveal essential problems through publicizing the findings of the research and attract citizens‟ attention to the reliability of their sources. The methodology for MDF‟s monitoring was developed by Dominique Thierry, consultant of Free Press Unlimited (FPU).
    [Show full text]
  • Tamar Orjonikidze Georgian Diaspora and Current Diaspora Policy In
    Tamar Orjonikidze I. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University Ph.D candidate in political sciences Georgian Diaspora and Current Diaspora Policy in Georgia Abstract Apart from historical diasporas, over million Georgian citizens reside abroad these days. Majority of them who went abroad in search of jobs should be considered migrants. Diaspora has great importance both for their families and Georgian economy. Therefore, Georgia needs to have a well-considered diaspora policy in place. Studying the interest spheres of diaspora members, their problems, the ways of strengthening their links with Georgia and developing the relevant policy is the biggest challenge for Georgian political parties, especially for the ruling party, which is responsible for carrying out the adequate diaspora policy. In this article we will try to look at the present day diaspora policy for which purpose we will discuss “2016-2020 Migration Strategy of Georgia”, the document developed by the ruling party (“Georgian Dream”) and carry out content analysis of 2016 election platform on diaspora of the above party and make comparisons. Key words: Georgia; Georgian diaspora; Diaspora policy. Introduction Unfortunately, the State Minister’s Office on Diaspora Issues does not have any accurate data on the number of citizens of the present day Georgian diaspora, since, on their explanation, the majority of our compatriots reside abroad illegally; consequently, they are not registered with the Consular Record Division. Besides, the intensiveness of movement from country to country is rather high. Although there are no exact data on the number of Georgian citizens residing outside the country, the fact is that this figure is quite high.
    [Show full text]
  • Georgia National Integrity System Assessment 2020
    Georgia National Integrity System Assessment 2020 The publication was prepared with the financial support of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Transparency International Georgia bears the sole responsibility for the content of this report. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Contents Executive Summary _____________________________________________________ 5 Introduction: About NIS Assessment ____________________________________ 10 Country Profile: Foundations of the National Integrity System ___________ 15 Corruption Profile _______________________________________________________ 19 Anti-Corruption Activities _______________________________________________ 20 Parliament ______________________________________________________________ 22 Executive Branch ________________________________________________________ 37 Judiciary __________________________________________________________________ 51 Public Administration _____________________________________________________ 65 Law Enforcement Agencies ______________________________________________ 78 Electoral Administration _________________________________________________ 95 Public Defender _________________________________________________________ 104 State Audit Office _______________________________________________________ 113 Political Parties ________________________________________________________ 123 Media __________________________________________________________________ 135 Civil Society ____________________________________________________________
    [Show full text]
  • Weekly News Report on Georgia
    WEEKLY NEWS REPORT ON GEORGIA Date: April 23 - 29, 2018 Occupied Regions Abkhazia Region 1. Remains of 22 people missing due to conflict in Georgia‟s Abkhazia region identified “Today, the decades of uncertainty are over for another 22 families,” said Biljana Milosevic, the head of the ICRC‟s delegation in Georgia. “But more than 2,400 people remain unaccounted for as a result of the conflicts of the 1990s and August 2008. Families have the right to know what happened to them,” Milosevic added (Agenda.ge, April 23). 2. Ombudsman: Impunity encourages violence in Georgia‟s occupied regions It is necessary for the international community, together with Georgia, to take concrete steps, to use various instruments and mechanisms not to allow impunity regarding the cases of Archil Tatunashvili, Giga Otkhozoria and many others,” Lomjaria said (Agenda.ge, April 27). Tskhinvali Region (so called South Ossetia) 3. Georgia‟s Vice Premier delivers speech at UN underlining the country‟s peace initiative Georgia‟s peace initiative and human rights violations in the occupied regions of the country were the two major topics Georgian Foreign Minister and Vice Premier Mikheil Janelidze underlined in his speech delivered at UN headquarters yesterday. Janelidze‟s speech was part of a high level meeting on peace building and sustaining peace. He underlined the difficult situation in the occupied territories and cases of human rights violations by the occupational forces (Agenda.ge, April 25, 2018). 4. De facto Tskhinvali leadership announces restrictions for ethnic Georgian farmers Governor Nugzar Tinikashvili says that de facto President of Tskhinvali Anatoly Bibilov said yesterday that those Georgian farmers who will take their cattle and sheep in other Georgian regions in winter will not be able to re-enter the region with their cattle and sheep (Agenda.ge, April 27).
    [Show full text]
  • Intra-Party Democracy in the Georgian Political System
    INTRA-PARTY DEMOCRACY IN THE GEORGIAN POLITICAL SYSTEM BAKUR KVASHILAVA eecmd.org INTRA-PARTY DEMOCRACY IN DEMOCRACY INTRA-PARTY THE GEORGIAN POLITICAL SYSTEM THE GEORGIAN POLITICAL The publication was commissioned by the Eastern European Centre for Multiparty Democ- racy (EECMD) as part of the Enhancing Institutional and Electoral Capacities of Democratic Political Parties project funded by the Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy (DIPD). The author is responsible for the content of this publication, and the opinions expressed in it do not necessarily reflect the views of the EECMD and DIPD. eecmd.org CONTENT 01 INTRODUCTION 05 METHODOLOGY 09 RESEARCH FINDINGS APPENDIX eecmd.org 21 INTRODUCTION Political parties play a significant role in the modern state. It is difficult to imagine running a country without them. There are still countries where no political parties exist; however, these are exceptions to the norm. Without political parties, it is difficult for the government of any 1 country to solve the complex and diverse issues that the modern state is responsible for solv- ing. Foreign policy, economics, social security, education, environmental protection, public development, law enforcement – this is just a small and general list of functions performed by a state in the modern world. When political parties do not function, we are dealing either with a government based on antiquated principles or with a microstate with a population of less than 20,000. Political parties are an integral part of modern reality and perform their functions not only in democratic nations but also even in authoritarian regimes. INTRA-PARTY DEMOCRACY IN DEMOCRACY INTRA-PARTY THE GEORGIAN POLITICAL SYSTEM THE GEORGIAN POLITICAL Naturally, political parties have a special role to play in a democratic system as the optimal means of gaining power.
    [Show full text]
  • CAUCASUS ANALYTICAL DIGEST No. 89, 15 November 2016 2
    No. 89 15 November 2016 Abkhazia South Ossetia caucasus Adjara analytical digest Nagorno- Karabakh www.laender-analysen.de/cad www.css.ethz.ch/en/publications/cad.html PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN GEORGIA Special Editor: Tatia Chikhladze, Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen ■■Undecided Voters in 2016: Leaning Towards a Multi-Party System? 2 Tamar Iakobidze, Tbilisi ■■Georgia’s Parliamentary Elections—a Step Forward? 6 Tornike Zurabashvili, Tbilisi ■■Implication of Increased Anti-Western Propaganda in the Election Results 10 Teona Turashvili, Tbilisi ■■DOCUMENTATION The Results of the Georgian Parliamentary Elections 14 This publication has been produced within the Innovative Training Network “Caspian” which is funded by an MSCA grant of the European Union in the context of Horizon 2020 (Grant agreement no: 642709). This publication reflects only the authors’ views. The funding body is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. Research Centre Center Caucasus Research German Association for for East European Studies for Security Studies Resource Centers East European Studies University of Bremen ETH Zurich CAUCASUS ANALYTICAL DIGEST No. 89, 15 November 2016 2 Undecided Voters in 2016: Leaning Towards a Multi-Party System? Tamar Iakobidze, Tbilisi Abstract The Georgian political party system has been marked by radical polarization between the Georgian Dream (GD) and the United National Movement (UNM) since 2012. However, the Parliamentary Elections in 2016 have shown growing indecision among voters, which indicates dissatisfaction with both GD and UNM as well as the need for a third alternative. Examining the profile of undecided voters and their behavior dur- ing the 2016 October elections gives insight into the prospects of a multi-party system in Georgia.
    [Show full text]
  • News Digest on Georgia
    NEWS DIGEST ON GEORGIA October 28-31 Compiled by: Aleksandre Davitashvili Date: November 1, 2019 Occupied Regions Tskhinvali Region (so called South Ossetia) 1. Amid Crossing Point Closure, Patient Dies after Delayed Transfer to Tskhinvali Margo Martiashvili, who was transferred from Ikoti village of occupied Akhalgori Municipality to Tskhinvali for medical treatment, died in the hospital on October 28 after allegedly suffering from a stroke, Tamar Mearakishvili, an Akhalgori-based civil rights activist, reported yesterday. It took the emergency vehicle from occupied Tskhinvali three hours to transfer Martiashvili to hospital. The patient could not be taken to Tbilisi, located some 45 minutes drive from Akhalgori, as the crossing points between occupied region and the rest of Georgia, including the Odzisi / Mosabruni crossing point, remain closed since September (Civil.ge, October 29, 2019). 2. EUMM Offers Condolences on Patient’s Death in Tskhinvali Amid Crossing Point Closure The European Union Monitoring Mission to Georgia (EUMM) released a statement on October 29, offering condolences on the death of Margo Martiashvili, who passed away after a delayed transfer to Tskhinvali hospital from Ikoti village of occupied Akhalgori Municipality yesterday. Martiashvili died in the hospital on October 28 after allegedly suffering from a stroke, based on reports by Tamar Mearakishvili, an Akhalgori-based civil rights activist (Civil.ge, October 29, 2019). 3. Georgian FM on Patient’s Death in Tskhinvali Amid Crossing Point Closure On October 30, Georgian Foreign Minister Davit Zalkaliani released a statement over the death of Margo Martiashvili, who passed away after a delayed transfer to Tskhinvali hospital from Ikoti village of occupied Akhalgori Municipality.
    [Show full text]
  • The Report of the State Security Service of Georgia 2020
    The Report of the State Security Service of Georgia 2020 Foreword The primary objective of the State Security Service is to protect national interests of the state and promote democratic development of Georgia through detection, prevention and due response to both internal and external threats facing the country. Providing of secure, stable and peaceful environment in the country is associated to a number of significant challenges. The report represents activities carried out by the State Security Service throughout 2020. The document also sums up basic threats and challenges of the last year. In 2020, activities of the foreign special services to the prejudice of national interests of Georgia was still a major challenge. Attempted covert operations, application of cyber capabilities and so-called hybrid warfare tools in order to seek political, military, socio-economic, ideology and other types of levers of influence were detected. Russian occupation, increasing militarization of occupied territories and ongoing military exercises on the ground remain existential threat to Georgia as a state. Expansionist policy of the Russian Federation in the Black Sea and Caucasus regions hampers stable development of the country and damages Georgia’s security, as well as security of the countries in the region and Europe. Regional developments affected domestic security of the country. Combat activities unfolded between Armenia and Azerbaijan represented a particular challenge. In the event of crisis, one of the major objectives of the State Security Service was maintaining peace in Georgia and providing peaceful co- existence of citizens. The pandemic of Novel Coronavirus has substantially changed global processes. Apart from healthcare systems, social field, economy and international policy, the pandemic affected such fundamental matters as national and global security.
    [Show full text]