CoE Calls for ‘Exchange’ of Detainees

During her visit to Tbilisi in a capacity of Chairperson of Council of Europe’s (CoE) Committee of Minister, Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey called on the Georgian authorities “to complete the exchange with the other parties to the conflict of prisoners and of the remains of victims of the conflict.”

Council of Europe, through its human rights commissioner Thomas Hammarberg, has been engaged in talks with Tbilisi and Tskhinvali in recent months to secure release of detained persons on the both sides of the administrative border. As a result of Hammarberg’s mediation five Georgian minors and five Ossetians were released in early and late December.

Council of Europe said in a press release that Micheline Calmy-Rey “encouraged” the Georgian officials during her visit on January 16-17 to support CoE Human Rights Commissioner’s efforts and “offered to make available experts to assist with the search for disappeared persons.”

Thomas Hammarberg said in early December while visiting Tbilisi that investigation into missing persons should be conducted in “credible manner” and for that purpose he suggested an international oversight.

Authorities in breakaway South Ossetia rejected to participate in a meeting in frames of Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism to address the issue of detained and missing persons, citing that it wanted at first to receive information from Tbilisi about disappeared South Ossetians.

Tskhinvali prioritizes the issue of three young Ossetian men, who went missing since October 13, 2008 after coming across the Georgian-controlled territory. The South Ossetian side released a video footage, apparently shot by a mobile phone, showing these three men being shouted at and harassed by other men, claimed by Tskhinvali to be Georgian law enforcement officers. Tbilisi denies Tskhinvali’s allegation.

During her visit Micheline Calmy-Rey noted that Georgian “made progress in the fulfillment of its obligations as a Council of Europe member state,” according to CoE press release. She said that “while reforms had made progress, the work started needed to be continued.” 

She also called on the Georgian authorities to complete the remaining legislative amendments, particularly on protection of minorities and the signature of the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages. 

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