Georgian Parliament extends investigative commission's mandate by one month

The Parliament of Georgia has extended the mandate of its temporary investigative commission probing alleged abuses committed by former officials from the 2003–2012 period by one month, until July 5, 2025. The decision was passed during a plenary session with 86 votes in favor.

Before the vote, Commission Chair Tea Tsulukiani presented the second interim report on the commission’s activities, covering the period from February 13 to May 23, 2025.

According to Tsulukiani, the commission has so far held over 30 public hearings and questioned more than 100 individuals. Of the nearly 600 complaints submitted to the commission, over 500 have already been reviewed. Tsulukiani noted that more than half of these concern allegations of torture, inhuman treatment, and the unlawful seizure of property and businesses.

Tsulukiani emphasized that the extension is necessary primarily to investigate activities from the 2013–2025 period, which was added to the commission's scope in April this year.

“We are tasked with examining damaging actions committed during the previous administration by individuals who held political office or are currently active in political parties. These actions have affected the state both domestically and especially abroad. Given the scope of this issue, we need more time to conduct a thorough investigation,” she said, adding that the extended period will allow for additional public hearings.

The commission is currently investigating six key topics outlined by parliament: murders, torture, inhuman treatment, business racketeering, corruption, media freedom, and the 2008 August war. Tsulukiani said significant progress has been made across all areas.

“In the coming month, we will focus primarily on document review and finalizing our draft conclusions. If no major obstacles arise, we aim to present our final report to parliament for approval on July 4 or 5,” she stated.

Tsulukiani also noted the scale of the alleged abuses uncovered during the investigation: “Even if the law allowed us more time, several months would still be insufficient to fully uncover the scope of wrongdoing that continues to surface with each session.”

As part of its next steps, the commission plans to visit the former penitentiary facility in Khoni, where isolation cells from the Saakashvili era are still preserved—currently the only such location remaining in Georgia.