OSCE Moscow Mechanism report carries legal weight, opposition

A member of the opposition group Coalition for Change, Tengo Tevzadze, on Friday said a report prepared under the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Moscow Mechanism represented a serious challenge for the ruling party Georgian Dream.

Speaking about the document, Tevzadze said the report should be viewed not only as a political assessment but also as a legal conclusion.

“The Moscow Mechanism is an extremely serious development for the Georgian Dream. In fact, it represents a legal conclusion and an accusation against the ruling party,” he said.

Tevzadze noted the document focused in part on individuals he described as political prisoners and on people who he said had been victims of systemic violence.

He also argued that, unlike resolutions adopted by the European Parliament, which he characterised as political documents, the OSCE report carried legal implications that should lead to consequences.