Kobakhidze Alludes to Purges, Says Civil Service is “Self-Cleansing”

Irakli Kobakhidze gathered his cabinet and, reacting to the avalanche of letters from civil service employees distancing themselves from the GD’s pivot away from the EU, said the system was “self-cleansing” and that these people “have problems with reading comprehension.” He promised to “bring this [self-cleansing] process to the end. There are reports that political appointees are pressuring civil servants who expressed their disagreement to resign.

Kobakhidze said the process was “linked to the level of education” and that “with those who have problems with comprehending what is written or said, we are ready to discuss and explain, but there is little hope of that.” He argued there are “some sincere people, of course,” but overall condemned “liberal fascism and violence” that prevents “healthy discussion.”

President Salome Zurabishvili reacted on social media by writing, “Illegitimate premier goes to the Foreign Ministry for what? It is probably to threaten the employees. They will fire everyone who signed the protests through “reorganization.” One more constitutionally protected right trampled upon!”

Three key watchdogs, Transparency International – Georgia, Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), and the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), held a briefing today in reaction to an earlier statement by Tbilisi mayor Kakha Kaladze, who said the dissenting municipal employees could exit as the reorganizations are planned in several services. The watchdogs said civil or municipal servants declaring a commitment to the Constitutional principles could not be considered grounds for their dismissal, and forcing public employees to resign was a crime foreseen by Article 169 of the Criminal Code. The watchdogs said, “Persecution and pressure of civil servants based on political views is unacceptable” and called political officials to act in conformity with constitutional principles and laws.

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