The Daily Beat: 5 September
On September 5, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) issued its judgment in the case of Mukhtarli v. Azerbaijan and Georgia, finding that Georgia had violated Articles 3 and 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights by failing to conduct an effective investigation into the abduction, ill-treatment and illegal transfer to Azerbaijan of journalist Afghan Mukhtarli. The Court ordered Georgia to pay EUR 10,000 for non-pecuniary damage and EUR 2,500 for costs and expenses.
On September 4, police detained two members of the opposition United National Movement, Irakli Edzgveradze and Irakli Nadiradze, members of the Tbilisi City Council (Sakrebulo), for interfering with police investigation activities. Edzgveradze is also the head of the UNM campaign office in the Gldani district. Nadiradze has been since released on parole, while Edzgveradze’s lawyer claims that his client has been subjected to police violence, requesting the Special Investigation Service to probe into an alleged ill-treatment by the police.
On September 4, the Deputy President of the Malaysian Parliament’s Senate, Datuk Nur Jazlan bin Tan Sri Mohamed, began his visit to Georgia, holding meetings with the Speaker of the Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, and Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili. According to the official reports, the parties discussed the possible expansion of bilateral cooperation, with special emphasis on trade, economy, transport, and logistics.Malaysian and Georgian officials also agreed to further explore visa liberalization for Georgian citizens.
The political coalition “Strong Georgia,” composed of the “Lelo” and “For People” parties along with the Freedom Square political movement, has presented its election program. “Strong Georgia’s” program mainly focuses on Georgia’s Euro-integration, combating Russia’s malign influence, a significant increase in pensions, and the eradication of poverty and unemployment. Media reports also suggest that former President Giorgi Margvelashvili might join the “Strong Georgia” coalition.
The newly appointed Estonian Ambassador to Georgia Marge Mardisalu-Kahar presented her credentials to President Salome Zurabishvili. According to the Estonian Embassy in Georgia, during the ceremony, the President and Estonian Ambassador discussed bilateral relations between the two countries, the status of Georgia’s integration into the EU, the pre-election situation in Georgia, and the importance of supporting Ukraine.