IHF Open Letter on political prisoners in Georgia

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From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2000 09:56:26 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: IHF Open Letter on political prisoners in Georgia

From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>

Original sender: International Helsinki Federation <[email protected]>

IHF Open Letter on political prisoners in Georgia


HE Eduard Shevardnadze
President of the Republic of Georgia
 
OPEN LETTER
 
Vienna, 30 March 2000
 
Via facsimile           +99-532-99 60 54
 
Dear Mr. Shevardnadze,
 
On behalf of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
(IHF), I would like to express our appreciation for the fact that two
political prisoners, Nemo Chanturia and Tamaz Gorelishvili, have been
released for medical reasons as our organization requested last year.
 
Unfortunately, a third prisoner, Karlo Djichonaia, whose case we
raised at the same time, was not examined by the forensic medical
commission as we requested.
 
Mr. Djichonaia has become blind as a result of ill-treatment in
pre-trial detention.  On 2 February 2000, along with political
prisoners Bidzina Gudgabidze, David Bichashvili and Murtaz Dgalagonia,
he declared a hunger-strike, demanding a general, unconditional
amnesty for political prisoners.  The prisoners are held in the
central prison hospital in Tbilisi, and all four are in critical
health.  As the government has paid no attention to their hunger
strike, numerous political prisoners in other penitentiaries, labor
camps and detention facilities have joined the hunger strike. They
number over 50 persons.
 
The IHF has grounds to believe that the strike could end in tragedy if
your government continues to ignore the issue.
 
The demands of the striking prisoners are consistent with the Council
of Europe�s Parliamentary Assembly Opinion No. 209 (1999) in which it
established conditions for the admission of Georgia to the
organization � conditions Georgia promised to uphold.  According to
this document (paragraph 10 iv.e), Georgia is required "to review the
cases of persons convicted or detained for their part in the political
upheavals of 1991-92 within two years after its accession."
 
To date, after a year, no steps have been taken to begin such a
process, which will need to include over 100 cases of members and
supporters of President Gamsakhurdia's government.
 
The amnesty that is now demanded should, in our view, be considered in
the context of the review your government has pledged to undertake. 
We thus urge you to consider seriously the demands of the prisoners as
a means of fulfilling Georgia's obligations to the Council of Europe.
 
Such a review will be vital to a process of national reconciliation.
After eight years, the wounds inflicted by the past conflict can only
heal when all the cases involving the supporters of President
Gamsakhurdia's government are resolved in a way consistent with their
political rights.
 
Given the precarious health of many of the striking prisoners, we
would appreciate your prompt consideration.

Sincerely,
 
Aaron Rhodes
 
copies to:      Council of Europe
    OSCE Delegations
    UN Human Rights Center
    National Helsinki Committees
__________________________________________________
International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
Wickenburggasse 14/7
A-1080 VIENNA, AUSTRIA
Tel. +43-1-408 88 22
Fax  +43-1-408 88 22-50
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: http://www.ihf-hr.org

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