Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Annual Report 2005 - Georgia
| Publisher | International Federation for Human Rights |
| Publication Date | 22 March 2006 |
| Cite as | International Federation for Human Rights, Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Annual Report 2005 - Georgia, 22 March 2006, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/48747cc235.html [accessed 7 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Ongoing harassment of HRIDC members12
On 27 September 2005, Mr. Ucha Nanuashvili, executive director of the Human Rights Information and Documentation Centre (HRIDC), received a telephone call from Mr. Kvaratskhelia Zaur, head of the Department for Relations with Georgian Diasporas and Inter-ethnic Relations at the office of the President of the Republic. In particular, Mr. Zaur accused Mr. Nanuashvili of being an "informer" and a "traitor", of divulging "false information" about ethnic minorities in Georgia and of representing the interests of foreign powers. These events followed a press conference on 27 July 2005 in Tbilisi, during which Mr. Nanuashvili presented an FIDH report on ethnic minorities in Georgia.
Since then, the offices of his organisation have been subjected to several attempted break-ins and a guard is now there every night.
In November 2004, HRIDC had been threatened by several high-ranking officials who called on it to cease its activities concerning the rights of refugees.
In addition, HRIDC, like other independent organisations, continued to be ostracised by the authorities. Indeed, HRIDC requested to join the Supervisory Board on Pre-trial Detention, created in January 2005 by the office of the Ombudsman (to which it is answerable) and the Ministry of the Interior, but by the end of 2005 it had not received any reply to its request. HRIDC had already been prevented from joining the Supervisory Council of the Prison System, established in August 2004.
[Refworld note: This report as posted on the FIDH website (www.fidh.org) was in pdf format with country chapters run together by region. Footnote numbers have been retained here, so do not necessarily begin at 1.]
12. See Annual Report 2004 and Urgent Appeal GEO 001/1005/OBS 088.
