Open letter to Prime Minister of Georgia Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili
Mr. Prime Minister, you are approached by the Chairman of the public organization "Association of South Ossetian Women for Democracy and Human Rights" Lira Kozaeva.
February 1, 2005 a terrorist act was committed outside the regional police in the city of Gori.
On the second day, speaking at a meeting of the government, the then Prime Minister of Georgia, Zurab Zhvania, said the following: "There is no evidence to suggest the involvement of certain Georgian or South Ossetian groups in this terrorist act in Gori." That is, Zhvania actually hinted that he knew the true organizers of that terrible crime, and that they had nothing to do with the Ossetians. Contrary to the opinion of the Prime Minister, certain political groups in Georgia have decided to act on their authority.
Among those lifers who went on hunger strike in the Tbilisi Gldani prison April 15, 2013, there were also the residents of South Ossetia: Georgy Zasseev (30 years old), Joseph Kochiev (38years old) and Gigo Valiev (43years old). These three men at that time had been declared the principal perpetrators of the terrorist act in Gori.
Having learned about the action, a mother of Georgy Zasseev - Lyudmila Usovich- went on hunger strike in solidarity. According to the available information, all the three lifers asked to review their cases, as well as to hold a fair trial.
Mr Prime Minister!
Prior to 2008, as a human rights activist, I had repeatedly presented at the sittings of the court with the accused Ossetians. Therefore, I declare with all responsibility that I witnessed the outrageous injustice against the kidnapped Ossetians by the law enforcement bodies of Georgia. And the episode with the "solved" case of the terrorist act in Gori was another proof of that.
July 17, 2005 Zasseev`s family was informed that in the village of Avnevi had been found a broken machine of their son, Georgy, but he, himself, was not in the car.
At the request of the family members, the chief of the Security Council of South Ossetia - Oleg Alborov, phoned to the Gori regional police, where he received a confirmation - three citizens of South Ossetia, among them Georgy Zasseev had been arrested and sent to Tbilisi. At that time, police officers of Gori incriminated them a road accident. (!)
Knowing about the numerous cases of kidnapping the citizens of South Ossetia and their subsequent arrests on trumped-up charges, I called the then State Minister for Conflict Resolution, Mr. Khaindrava and asked him about the fate of these guys. The answer was unexpected: he claimed that they had had 200 grams of heroin (!), and it was a serious crime and he did not know where they were kept."
Over the next nine days, we together with the relatives of the detainees could not know their whereabouts.
Then I applied to Mrs. Nana Kakabadze, a prominent human rights activist in Georgia, heading the NGO "Former Political Prisoners for Human Rights".
I explained the situation and asked her to help us. She agreed without hesitation, but asked to organize the arrival of their relatives to get their written statements.
On the same day, the staff of the office of Mrs. Kakabadse received the information that the three detainees were kept in the detention centre №7, and Mr. Gela Nikolaishvili -N.Kakabadze`s colleague, was able to visit them.
After the visit of the Georgian human rights activist it became known that the Georgian Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili had held a briefing for reporters where he had announced the official version of the detention of the three men in the village of Avnevi - the same road accident, and, in addition, the drugs!
The parents of Georgy Zasseev managed to meet with the commander of the Georgian peacekeeping battalion, Mr. Kurashvili. He reassured them that the guys after the accident had been injured, and they would be cured and returned to their parents in the coming days. According to the behavior of these officials, in Tbilisi were still pondering what they could else incriminated them.
However, instead of returning home, all of them were accused of committing the terrorist act in Gori, illegal carrying of weapons, possession of drugs and a traffic accident.
In August, the Georgian television broadcast how Zasseev, Valiev and Kochiev were giving testimony. Everyone who watched this show was confused by the lackluster eyes, looking into the emptiness, nothing expressing faces, and inhibition of actions. According to the parents and relatives of the detainees, they were under psychotropic drugs.
After that "TV show" their state lawyer Zaza Shanava, lifting his hands, told their parents that if the accused had pleaded guilty, they would face severe punishment ...
Only in December 2006 the parents of Georgy Zasseev were able to meet with their son. And his first question was: "Mom, it appears that I was shown on TV. Have you seen me? What was I speaking about? "That is, the version that all the three were under the drugs, has been confirmed.
The first court sittings were being held without the parents. They were not even informed about their conducting. Only Valiev`s sister managed to get into the courtroom; she witnessed the fact that her brother had a large, swollen head - the result of severe beating.
Mr Prime Minister!
I `d like to focus on the final court sitting, where was passed the sentence. The court session was held in Gori. The first evident thing was the absence of the clerk of court. On both sides of the judge were not sitting the people’s assessors, as required by law, as well as there was not an interpreter.
The meeting was held by a single judge Bondo Vatiashvili. As we were told, four years ago, he, himself, had been arrested by the law enforcement authorities. With the naked eyes, it was obvious that Mr. Judge was clearly bored, procrastinating, and knowing in advance the final sentence. He was idly asking questions, interrupting the lawyers, without hearing their arguments in favor of the accused.
On the first row of the courtroom were sitting the relatives of those killed in the terrorist act. The judge repeatedly asked them what the sentence they would like to pass upon the accused was. The tranquility of the guys astonished me! I did not understand their behavior.
A terrible clue came after the life imprisonment verdict had been announced. "We were cheated!" - One of them shouted.
After the court, during a visit with relatives, all the three prisoners told that they had been promised to sign a document, rejecting the making of confession under psychotropic drugs; in this case they would have been sentenced to 2-3 years of imprisonment, and then to be released on parole.
Mr Prime Minister!
Over the last 20 years, every effort was made to ruin the relationships between our peoples, followed by bloodshed, overwhelming grief, violence, tears that have not dried yet. Thousands of mothers on both sides are in mourning for their killed children, relatives and friends. Many mothers cannot even mourn the graves of their children because their children are missing. Resentment and hatred have been gnawing at the hearts of thousands and thousands of people. All this makes us to crash down into the abyss of mutual hatred.
It's time to build the ruined for years. We understand that to achieve the results it takes much time. But to stand idle - this is the wrong position.
Mr Prime Minister,
Numerous cases of transference of the Georgia prisoners and detainees kept in the prisons of South Ossetia, caused incomprehension and anger among the South Ossetian society. These were the real "goodwill gestures", as the Ossetian side did not ask to exchange them for its prisoners kept in the Georgian prisons.
President of South Ossetia had never refused to receive the Georgian mothers, asking to release their sons. They returned to Georgia with their children.
On behalf of the poor, grieving Ossetian mothers I ask you, using your power and authority to assist in transferring of the rest of the Ossetian prisoners kept in the Georgian prisons, to their mothers.
If our children, who have become the victims of the ill-considered decisions, continue to die by inches in prisons of Georgia, one could not say about any rapprochement between our countries.
With great hope for your understanding,
Chairman of the "Association of South Ossetian Women for Democracy and Human Rights," Lira Kozaeva.
