The Merabishvili Fiasco
OPED
After the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg indirectly recognized that the ex-minister of Interior Affairs Vano Merabishvili is a political prisoner, the agenda of the local government obviously changed. Opposing their initial comments, Georgian Dream representatives no longer refute the fact that laws were violated. More importantly, their informal leader, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, admits that there are some black holes in the case of Merabishvili. The process of this transformation began right after a secret meeting was held between President Margvelashvili and one of the leaders of the United National Movement (UNM), Giga Bokeria.
The Presidential Administration confirmed this a few days later, without releasing any official information whatsoever. Bokeria allegedly asked the President to pardon Merabishvili, offering the support of the UNM for the Presidential elections of 2018 in return. For President Giorgi Margvelashvili, this pardon is quite problematic in itself. As a precedent it automatically means that the cases of the former city mayor Gigi Ugulava and former Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia will also come to the fore, as their cases (regarding pre-trial detentions) might prove they have violations of no less significance to Strasbourg.
This would mean that Margvelashvili’s relations with the ruling party will be damaged for good, as would those with Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, who will be responsible for the results obtained by the GD at the elections on October 8. Clearly, these will be far from impressive if the ex-leaders of the UNM leave prison in triumph.
Apparently, the President needed a few days to make up his mind. Three days after the meeting he ordered an investigation to be launched based on the comments from Strasbourg. The case concerns a claim that Merabishvili made during his court hearing, whereby he said that, blind-folded, he was taken to the office of the then-General Prosecutor, Otar Partskhaladze, and ordered to testify against President Saakashvili. Margvelashvili asked there to be an investigation of this case since Strasbourg saw political motives.
Two days after the President’s request, and following a statement from Ivanishvili, the Prosecutor’s Office began investigation. When asked to assess the decision declared by Strasbourg, Ivanishvili said, “At that time I did not pay sufficient attention to the process. I remember when they said that allegedly somebody had put something on his head and taken him somewhere. I still believe this is absurd. The question is why the investigation did not begin at that time. If Strasbourg raised this question, it will at least be investigated now, but to me Merabishvili’s claim is unbelievable.”
At first glance, the decision to pay heed to the comments from Strasbourg seems logical. However, thinking that the investigation will prove false Merabishvili’s allegation is wrong. The results of the investigation are sure to become a reason for political outcry this will drag on infinitely until the foreigners get involved.
By arresting Vano Merabishvili, the Dreamers got themselves into serious trouble, considering the predictable reaction from the West, from which we can already see the “Yulia Tymoshenko Syndrome.” To be honest, nobody cares about Yulia or Vano (or Misha or Bidzina, for that matter); they simply dislike the fact that the new government imprisons representatives of the old one, as the strategic goal of the West in the post-soviet countries is to establish the peaceful change of governments by means of elections.
And what Ianukovich in Ukraine and Ivanishvili in Georgia are doing is destroying this tradition at its roots. Just like other post-soviet elite members have the fear of being jailed if they submit their powers in peace, thus, they will neither conduct fair elections, nor transfer power to anyone without spilling blood. This syndrome predicts cataclysms and Libyan scenarios in the long run in this huge, heavily armed post-soviet space.
Do the Europeans want this? Hardly.
Zaza Jgarkava