Georgia: democracy under torture

On June 25, a private screening of the most terrible film in the history of Georgia took place in Tbilisi: journalists, deputies of the City Duma, human rights activists and activists of a number of NGOs were presented with video materials from the discovered underground caches of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Samegrelo (Western Georgia). Many viewers still can not come to their senses

They were shown only a fraction of 12,000 video files showing shocking footage of torture and abuse of people by law enforcement officials. Secret caches were equipped by order of the country's top leadership. In addition to the films, they found a lot of weapons, explosives, as well as means of communication, military ammunition and a large amount of narcotic and psychotropic substances: heroin, cocaine, opium, suboteks. Plus an archive with photographs and personal data of opposition-minded individuals. But it is about the footage of sophisticated torture, which the human brain is only capable of, that all Georgia is now talking about. No one can believe that this was practiced at the beginning of the 21st century, in a country that proclaimed a course towards the European Union and NATO, by people from the “Saakashvili reform team”.

The shots are genuine, the torturers are not fictional, some have already been recognized. And they were not even surprised: “Ah, this one ... So everyone knew that he was a bandit and a murderer!” They knew and were silent ...

President Saakashvili, pressed against the wall by an angry population, named the people who, in his opinion, could be involved in torture: Levan Kardava and David Chkhatarashvili, people from the entourage of former Interior Minister Bacho Akhalaia. The President clarified that he was not personally acquainted with both - they "got" to his government from the previous, Shevardnadze's team. Saakashvili "did not know anything about the torture", but "the factor of ignorance does not relieve him of guilt and responsibility for what happened."

Vano Merabishvili, Saakashvili's right hand, who rebuilt the entire system of his Ministry of Internal Affairs, which was considered the hallmark of Georgian reforms, is in prison. Akhalaia is in prison. Both sent letters from the dungeons with approximately the same content: “We ask the Georgians for forgiveness for the fact that, despite all the changes, there were still cadres in the “system” who tortured people with inhuman methods. We insist on a thorough investigation of this crime and the severest punishment of those responsible.” Merabishvili also stated that he "knew nothing".

Nine people were arrested on charges of torture. The Georgians are dumbfounded and confused. Under the slogan of “restoring justice”, Ivanishvili’s team has been persistently, for 9 months in a row, trying to instill in the population the idea that the reforms carried out by Saakashvili, the restored order and the state apparatus working like a Swiss watch - all this was based on torture and violence. This is on the one hand. On the other hand, the regime that tortured people, having abandoned the instinct of self-preservation, readily admitted defeat in the elections and left. Moreover, its key figures have obediently allowed themselves to be imprisoned and are sending apologies from there. Those who remain at large are on the defensive. As well as the president himself, who also only needs to be imprisoned. And the impression is that he will not particularly resist.

While the Georgians are pondering this dilemma, the new government is intensively engaged in personnel reshuffles. Under Ivanishvili, 42,000 Georgians lost their jobs. Almost all more or less significant economic and development projects have been suspended. Zero foreign investment. The promised revolution in agriculture has not happened - the population is still required to be patient. The crime chronicle is again firmly registered in news releases, although the Ministry of Internal Affairs says that the number of offenses has noticeably decreased. Instead of the 250 lari ($150) pensions promised personally by Ivanishvili, only 125 are paid monthly to pensioners. At the same time, the ratings of the Georgian Dream have not fallen at all: according to the latest sociological polls, 41% in the presidential elections in October are ready to vote for the Dream candidate, and only 11 % - for the candidate from the "National Movement".

The windows of my house overlook the building of the former hospital. Refugees from Abkhazia have been living there since 1993. Under Eduard Shevardnadze, the flag of his party, the Union of Citizens of Georgia, appeared in one of the windows. With the arrival of Mikheil Saakashvili, the tenants changed it to a new one - a five-crossed white and red flag. After the August 2008 war, they removed the flag. With the advent of the "dreamers", the flag of the "Georgian Dream" appeared in the window. A few months later, they removed it. Why dont know. Maybe they moved. Or maybe they finally realized that it’s stupid to create idols for yourself and it’s better to hang a curtain.

This, apparently, is the main mistake of the Georgian people: we vote not with reason, but with emotions. We vote not for, but against, not for Saakashvili, but against Shevardnadze. Not for Ivanishvili, but against Saakashvili. Maybe at least in October we will finally vote with our heads?