In the 1st week of the spring session, a parliamentary investigative commission will be established to examine the activities of the 2003-2012 regime and its political officials. Such a statement made today Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the Georgian Dream.

“There is a radical opposition in Georgia that, during its time in power from 2003-2012, committed numerous crimes against the Georgian state and its people. Since 2012, this political force has acted as a suffocating force in Georgian politics, openly opposing Georgia’s national interests and blocking the establishment of a healthy political system.

Moreover, if this political force returns to power, there is no doubt it will repeat these same crimes with renewed zeal, supported by the same forces that once considered the authoritarian, bloody regime of 2003-2012 a beacon of democracy.

A significant portion of society, due to age, did not witness the crimes committed by the bloody [United] National Movement regime, and many have forgotten, at least on an emotional level, these crimes. Society must constantly remember the wrongdoings of the authoritarian regime to prevent their recurrence. After World War II, Germany overcame National Socialism in the public consciousness with the Nuremberg Trials and constant reminders of the regime’s crimes. This is an experience that Georgia should also embrace.

The US President-elect Donald Trump has spoken about fighting the “Deep State”. Similarly, there is a radical opposition in Georgia that is embedded within our political system, managed by the “Deep State”. This group, formed by the “Deep State”, serves its master’s whims without question. Just as the US must be liberated from the “Deep State”, so must Georgia be liberated from the radical opposition.

The regime’s systemic crimes from 2003-2012 are widely recognized. These include torture in penitentiary institutions, murder, violence, privacy violations, corruption, pressure on businesses to cede assets, media appropriation, and accusations related to the 2008 war and war crimes against Georgian military personnel.

To investigate these systemic crimes, a temporary investigative commission will be formed in the first week of the spring session to evaluate the activities of the regime and its officials from 2003-2012. The commission will operate for six months and present its findings, which the Georgian Parliament will consider and approve by the first week of September.

The conclusions will include recommendations for political and legal measures against those responsible, as prescribed by the Georgian Constitution.

The Commission’s conclusions would be forwarded to the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia and other relevant agencies as per Georgian law to ensure the accountability of the perpetrators.

To avoid speculation, we want to clarify that the investigation into the 2008 war will not target military commanders or soldiers. The commission will question regime officials and others who may be implicated in the regime’s crimes or who hold relevant information”, - said Mamuka Mdinaradze.