Georgian opposition summons interior minister to parliament

On August 14, the United National Movement (UNM) announced that it was summoning Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri to Parliament through means of interpellation in connection with the Shovi tragedy.

Other opposition parties also support the demand, saying that the ruling party’s categorical opposition to the creation of a parliamentary investigative commission raises questions, Civil.ge reports.

According to the statement UNM, the faction Chair MP Tina Bokuchava has already registered the letter of request in the Parliament. The party’ request is based on the paragraph 2 of Article 43 of the Constitution of Georgia and Article 149 of the Regulations of the Parliament of Georgia.

In the statement of the UNM, MPs address the Interior Minister with five questions. They are asking why the SMS early warning system was not implemented; why the rescue operations started with a delay of 3 hours; on what basis the government decided not to ask for international help in the search and rescue operations; what is the condition of the rescue equipment of the Emergency Situations Management Service of the Ministry of the Interior and how is it compatible with international standards; and on what basis the state refused to purchase two search and rescue helicopters (“HUEY II”) on a grant basis.

Notably, the Minister of Interior Vakhtang Gomelauri arrived in Shovi disaster site on the 11th day after the disaster. Speaking to journalists, he said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs could have used helicopters equipped with night vision devices, but they were not used because: “If human life is not in danger at that moment, it is not appropriate and permissible for the pilots to take risks.” Following the Minister’s statement, a rally was held in front of the government administration building on August 14 demanding Gomelauri’s resignation and the removal of Irakli Kobakhidze’s parliamentary powers.

During the rally, there was a verbal confrontation between the demonstrators and the police caused by the activists’ banners. The police took the banners with the inscriptions “Gomelauri, Resign” and “Iraყli f*ck off from the Parliament” (one letter in the first name of Irakli Kobakhidze changed altering the meaning of so that that wards alludes to a male genitalia) from the demonstrators, but later returned them. According to the activists themselves, after a verbal confrontation at the rally, two people were arrested and later, at around 11:10 pm, released .

The issue of creating an investigative commission

In the first days after the Shovi disaster, the opposition called for setting up the parliamentary investigative commission. Representatives of “Georgian Dream” are opposed to this initiative. According to Mikheil Sarjveladze, the chairman of the Committee for the Protection of Human Rights: “Presenting such an initiative [to create an investigative commission] demonstrates the desperate situation in which the oppositionists have found themselves through their own fault. They have gathered a whole wave to spread disinformation in order to damage the government’s reputation. Because they don’t have any arguments… they want to start an unfounded discussion about the creation of this parliamentary investigative commission”.

The leader of “Georgian Dream” Irakli Kobakhidze reacted to the initiative saying: “According to the standard, when a regular investigation begins, parliamentary investigative commissions are not created. But here, too, this particular political force manages to speculate, which is very sad”. Notably, on August 10, the Chairman of the Parliament Shalva Papuashvli, when criticizing the issue of creating the investigative commission said: “The members of the Parliament have various tools, for example, interpellation. They can summon the Minister and ask questions about all these issues”.