The Daily Beat: 19 April
For the second day in a row, the ruling party refused to register as being present at the Parliament session. It so prevented the opposition from establishing a commission to investigate allegations of corruption in the judiciary. The ruling party chairman Irakli Kobakhidze supported the Georgian judges sanctioned by the United States and publicly pledged support to the “independent judiciary.” The U.S. Ambassador Kelly Degnan said in the meantime that the U.S. sanctions were based on solid data.
The Coalition for an Independent and Transparent Judiciary issued a statement, blaming the ruling Georgian Dream party for deliberate and repeated obstruction of the parliamentary inquest. The Coalition said the majority faction is deliberately abusing the parliamentary procedure and is denying the opposition its Constitutional right to form the commission of inquiry. In its statement, NGOs also stressed the ruling party’s political responsibility for the “corrupt dealings” of influential judges.
U.S, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Erika Olson is in Georgia. She met prime minister Irakli Garibashvili, discussing the strategic partnership between the two countries amid the spat over the judiciary sanctions. According to the prime minister’s office, the regional security situation and challenges, with a “particular emphasis on the Prime Minister’s South Caucasus peaceful neighborhood initiative,” as well as Georgia’s EU prospects, were discussed during the meeting also attended by the foreign minister Ilia Darchiashvili.
Foreign Ministry continues its efforts to secure safe passage for Georgian citizens stranded in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, amid ongoing military clashes that erupted a few days ago. According to deputy foreign minister Aleksandre Khvtisiashvili, the foreign ministry is in touch with Georgian citizens and working closely with international partners to establish a humanitarian corridor or provide means to evacuate the citizens from Sudan and ensure their safe return to Georgia. Reportedly, around 30 Georgian citizens are stranded in Sudan; most of them are GeoSky and MyWay Airlines employees who had traveled to the capital, Khartoum, for work.
Pharmaceutical Association addressed customer concerns, noting that restrictions from Turkish suppliers caused a decrease in the supply and variety of medicine. According to information from the pharmaceutical association members, there are restrictions on the supply of certain drugs in terms of both assortment and quantity from the Turkish suppliers’ side. The association warned that these restrictions are expected to impact the local market in the near future. The association understands that the absence of a proper program for a pharmaceutical data exchange system also appeared to be problematic.
Wagner’s Lethal Mark in South Ossetia
A convicted murderer Georgiy Siukayev, who was pardoned for his service for the notorious PMC Wagner in Ukraine, stabbed and killed a widely beloved man known as “holy fool” in Tskhinvali. The crime occurred less than a month after Siukayev’s return to his native Tskhinvali, in occupied South Ossetia.
The so-called president of the Russia-occupied South Ossetia met with security officials, urging them to detain the Wagner man. He was reportedly arrested in the early hours of Wednesday. Wagner chief Yevgeni Prigozhin defended the murderer, saying he killed “some crazy man” who was offending the passers-by.
