The ruling party in Georgia on Thursday announced the establishment of a temporary investigative commission to examine the activities of the government and political officials from the United National Movement party, in office between 2003 and 2012.
The commission, set to begin its work during the first week of the spring parliamentary session, will investigate a range of alleged crimes committed by the “previous regime”, including torture, corruption, media manipulation, and issues surrounding the 2008 war.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the party executive secretary, outlined the commission’s goals in a briefing, noting that the investigation would focus on “systemic abuses” by the government in power during that period. The commission is tasked with reviewing the actions of former officials and preparing a report with findings and recommendations for legal and political action. This report will be submitted to the Georgian Parliament by September, after six months of investigation, and will then be forwarded to the Prosecutor’s Office and other relevant authorities for further legal measures, he said.
Mdinaradze emphasized that the investigation into the 2008 war would not target military commanders or soldiers but would instead focus on political leaders responsible for the decisions that “led to the conflict”. He also clarified that the commission would question “regime officials and others who may have pertinent information regarding the crimes committed during the 2003-2012 period”.
He noted the investigation is set to cover alleged torture of prisoners and systematic abuse within penitentiary institutions; acts of murder, violence, and violations of privacy; corruption and coercion of businesses; forced seizure of media outlets; the 2008 war and the war crimes accusations against the Georgian military.
Mdinaradze drew a comparison between the investigation and the Nuremberg Trials, suggesting that like Germany after WWII, “Georgia must confront its past to prevent the repetition of authoritarian practices”.
He also criticized the “radical opposition” in Georgia, labeling it as part of a “Deep State” that “undermines the country’s democratic development and poses a significant threat to national interests”.
