Justice minister dismisses OSCE Moscow Mechanism report as ‘unsubstantiated’

Georgia’s Justice Minister Paata Salia has criticised the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Moscow Mechanism report on Georgia, describing the document as largely based on “unsubstantiated opinions” and politically motivated assessments.

Salia on Thursday said he had been directly involved in meetings with the expert responsible for preparing the report during the expert’s visit to Georgia. According to the minister, the report was produced within “two or three days” by a single expert and an assistant, without a broader investigative team.

“The thick document created in such a short period, which is mainly based on opinions, is not a document we should be concerned about,” Salia said.

The minister argued that the report failed to examine specific cases or include evidence submitted by the Georgian authorities. He said the Justice Ministry had provided documentation ahead of schedule, including material related to Georgia’s reforms and rulings by the European Court of Human Rights concerning former President Mikheil Saakashvili and other issues previously raised by critics of the government.

Salia questioned why none of the materials submitted by the Georgian side appeared in the final conclusions.

“Not a single document supporting the other side’s position was included in this case,” he said, adding that any credible assessment should reflect the views and evidence of all parties involved.

The justice minister also claimed that several recommendations contained in the report exceeded the mandate of the Moscow Mechanism.

Salia added the recommendations included calls for European states to initiate interstate cases against Georgia before the Strasbourg court and for proceedings to be launched at the International Criminal Court. He described such proposals as legally unfounded and “outside any legal logic”.

Responding to questions regarding allegations of violence by riot police against demonstrators, Salia said there was evidence that police officers and special forces personnel had also been injured during protests.

“There was violence from both sides at certain stages, which is very unfortunate,” he said, while acknowledging that there had been “isolated cases” involving state representatives.

Salia added that changes were planned regarding the identification markings worn by riot police officers during operations.

The minister further accused the European Union of adopting what he described as an unfair approach towards Georgia, insisting that the country had not deviated from its international obligations under the Association Agreement with the EU.