Transparency International – Georgia calls on the Minister of Internal Affairs “to immediately change his order, and cancel the participation of Zviad Kharazishvili (Khareba) as the representative of Department of Special Tasks in the so-called territorial groups, as well as the authority of police forces to receive such as. “Preventive Measures” against peacefully gathered voters at polling stations.
The organization issues a statement and explains the fact that it is not permitted to include Kharazishvili, who has been sanctioned by the US, in the electoral process.
According to the organization, it is alarming the fact that Minister of Internal Affairs Zviad Khrazishvili was not only not dismissed from his post, but also given the role of de facto supervisor for election-related processes.
According to the decision made by the Minister of Internal Affairs in Georgia, Vakhtang Gomelauri and Zviad Kharazishvili the same “Khareba”, will be involved in all the processes related to the election.
On September 30, 2024 the Minister of Internal Affaires issued an order to “implement some measures in order to ensure that the elections for the Parliament of Georgia will be held on October 26, 2024 within a safe, peaceful and free environment”. According to the order, in the regions Georgia and Tbilisi “groups responsible” for the prevention of laws violations and their response – the “Territorial Groups” – will be formed.
During the previous general elections, the Minister of Internal Affairs issued similar acts. This time, however, there is a novelty: unlike in 2016 or 2020, the territorial group includes, among others, the head the appropriate territorial unit within the Ministry‘s Special Tasks Department. Instead, a representative appointed by the head the Ministry Special Tasks Department will be included. Zviad Kharazishvili is the head of this department. He has been sanctioned for serious human rights abuses by the US Treasury Department and is known for his brutality toward political opponents and protesters.
It is alarming to see that the Minister of Internal Affairs Z. Kharazishvili was not dismissed from his position, but instead given the role of de-facto overseer of election-related activities. In this context, the norm in the first paragraph of article 6 of the annex of the order of the Minister, which states that the police can take “preventive measures and crime response actions”, including “in the case of a crowd of people near the polling station“, is also alarming. This means that the “Khareba”, and the “territorial group” created with their participation, can act even if there are people gathered peacefully near the polling stations. This provision of the order of the Minister is not only without legal basis but also directly contradicts international human rights law and the Georgian Constitution‘s freedom of assembly.
We call on the Georgian Minister of Internal Affairs to immediately reverse his order, and cancel the participation of a representative of the Department of Special Tasks within the so-called territorial groups. We also ask that the police authorities not be given the authority to receive so-called “Preventive Measures” against peaceful voters at polling stations.
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