30.06.2005 - Source: Council of Europe - European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Numerous allegations that persons had been detained by the police for extended periods of time ("Report to the Georgian Government on the visit to Georgia carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 18 to 28 November 2003 and from 7 to 14 May 2004 [CPT/Inf(2005) 12]") [#33406],  [ID 5672]

"As regards the Autonomous Republic of Ajara which was visited in May 2004, the delegation received numerous allegations that persons had been detained by the police for extended periods of time. This was confirmed by the delegation’s own observations. For example, numerous stays of several weeks (occasionally over a month) were noted in the custody register kept at the temporary detention isolator of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Batumi. Evidence was also found at the City Department of Internal Affairs in Batumi that persons had been detained there for up to two weeks in the course of 2004. In this connection, the delegation was told that according to Instruction No. 117 of 18 March 1994 by the Minister of the Interior, detained persons can be kept for up to 15 days (and exceptionally even longer) in temporary detention isolators at an investigator’s request. Subsequently, the delegation raised this issue with the authorities in Tbilisi and was informed that the instruction in question had been rescinded following the entry into force of the CCP in 1999. The CPT trusts that steps will be taken to ensure that the legal restrictions on the duration of police custody are respected throughout the territory of Georgia.

16. During the visit to Ajara, the delegation found out that remand prisoners were on occasion transferred from Prison No. 3 in Batumi to police temporary detention isolators for further investigative work, at the request of investigators. Evidence was found at the temporary detention isolators visited that persons had spent weeks and even months there after being transferred from the prison. Police and prison staff did not see anything irregular in this practice as the prisoners in question were seen to be the “investigator’s prisoners”.

The CPT wishes to stress that, from the standpoint of the prevention of ill-treatment and intimidation, it would be far preferable for further questioning by investigators of persons committed to a remand prison to take place in prison rather than on police premises. At the end of the visit in May 2004, the Georgian authorities assured the delegation that they shared this view. The CPT would like to receive confirmation that the practice found in Ajara of transferring prisoners under investigation back to police custody has ended."

Document(s): Report
Report

06.2005 - Source: Freedom House

In 2004 tensions in Ajaria worsened media environment; during parliamentary elections media were prohibited access to opposition candidates; since then Ajaria TV is under political control of new authorities ("Freedom of the Press 2005") [#42047],  [ID 5673]

"Escalating tensions in the semi-independent region of Ajaria led to a difficult media environment, including frequent assaults on journalists. During the March parliamentary elections, the Ajarian government prohibited media access to opposition candidates. […] Ajaria Television, which was under strict control of the former local political leader, is now politically controlled by the new authorities. The government, claiming it was clamping down on corruption, obstructed the work of independent media"

Document(s): Open document

04.03.2005 - Source: Civil Georgia

10 more journalist announced that they quit state-owned Adjara Autonomous Republic’s local television station Adjara TV, citing pressure and censorship from authorities ("More Journalists Quit Adjara TV") [#43262],  [ID 5677]

Document(s): Open document

03.03.2005 - Source: Civil Georgia

Adjara: Chief of news program Nata Imedaishvili and 3 other journalists of state-owned television quitted company, citing pressure from television’s leadership ("Journalists Quit Adjara TV, Citing Pressure") [#43260],  [ID 5678]

Document(s): Open document

23.04.2004 - Source: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Human rights record remained poor; particularly violations of freedom of the pres and freedom of association reported ("Human Rights in the OSCE Region: Europe, Central Asia and North America, Report 2004 (Events of 2003)") [#21453],  [ID 5674]

"The human rights record of Adjara, an autonomous republic headed by Aslan Abashidze since 1991, remained poor. Reports were received, particularly about violations of freedom of the press and freedom of association. Since the change of power, tensions rose between the central government and the Adjaran authorities, and at times escalation towards armed conflict threatened. The Adjaran authorities detained and harassed political activists aligned with the central government who had campaigned against the local government. Beatings, detentions and harassment of those critical of Abashidze and his government continued. The Adjaran authorities continued to refuse to release Tengiz Asanidze, a political prisoner pardoned in 1999 by then-President Shevardnadze. At the end of January 2004, in a positive move however, the Ajdaran government permitted the Rustavi-2 television station to broadcast again after a long-standing ban. Rustavi-2 was renowned for its support of the “Rose Revolution.”
[...]
In early 2004, the media situation in the Adjaria Autonomous Republic caused serious concern. Several journalists were physically attacked or prevented from working in this region"

Document(s): Open document
Open document

15.03.2004 - Source: Reporters Sans Frontières

Adzharia: Police harassed television crews covering the visit of Georgian finance minister Zurab Nogaideli, who filmed the brief detention of the official by the local authorities/ ("Media suffers relentless harassment in autonomous republic of Ajaria") [#20394],  [ID 5675]

Document(s): Open document

05.03.2004 - Source: Committee to Protect Journalists

Ajaria: reporter for the well-respected "60 Minutes" investigative journalism program on independent television station Rustavi-2, attacked ("Georgia: Journalist attacked") [#20070],  [ID 5676]

Document(s): Open document

24.02.2004 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Report focused on religious intolerance, freedom of assembly and expression, torture in prisons and the situation of internally displaced, refugees and Meskhetian refugees ("Agenda for Reform: Human Rights Priorities after the Georgian Revolution") [#19671],  [ID 5679]

"Ajara, an autonomous republic headed by Aslan Abashidze since 1991, has a poor record on human rights, in particular for freedom of the press and freedom of association. Since the change of power, tensions have risen between the central government and the Ajaran authorities, at times even threatening to escalate towards armed conflict. The Ajaran authorities have detained and harassed political activists aligned with the central government who have campaigned against the local government. The central government has protested the detentions and harassment. In a positive move, at the end of January 2004, the Ajaran government permitted the Rustavi 2 television station to broadcast, after a long-standing ban on the station. In the past Rustavi 2 became renowned for its support of the revolution. However, beatings, detentions, and harassment of those critical of Abashidze and his government continue and seem likely to escalate in the pre-election period. The Ajaran authorities continue to refuse to release Tengiz Asanidze, a political prisoner pardoned in 1999 by then-President Shevardnadze.26 The case is currently pending before the European Court of Human Rights."

Document(s): Open document