Opposition Party Calls for Public Probe into Prison Riot

The opposition New Rights party slammed the authorities for, as the opposition party put it, ignoring international calls for a public and impartial probe into the violent March 27 Tbilisi prison incident, which resulted in the death of seven inmates.

In a statement issued on May 1, the New Rights called on “the international community to mount active pressure on the Georgian authorities to investigate the tragic March 27 events.”

On March 31 the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, expressed concern regarding the prison incident and said that “it would be appropriate to set up an independent and public enquiry to investigate the events, including allegations of a disproportionate use of force by government troops.”

The New Rights said that despite international calls for a transparent public probe into the incident “the authorities have not carried out any impartial investigation. Instead, they brought charges only against the inmates.”