Moderator:
Delphine Carlens, Deputy Head of the International Justice Desk, FIDH
Speakers:
Ucha Nanuashvili, former Public Defender of Georgia, Project Director at Human Rights Centre - HRIDC
Nino Tsagareishvili, Project Director at HRIDC, Chair of the Georgian Coalition for the ICC
Varvara Pakhomenko, human rights activist and expert on Caucasus
Kirill Koroteev, Legal Director of the Moscow-based Human Rights Centre "Memorial"
The public event is organised in the context of a mission by FIDH to the Hague to present the joint report "Living on the edge: victims’ quest for accountability - The ongoing impact of the 2008 Russia-Georgia war"to the International Criminal Court and relevant stakeholders.
The armed conflict in the summer of 2008 between Georgia and Russia saw attacks against the civilian population, which resulted in murders, forcible transfers of population, persecutions on ethnic grounds; as well as attacks intentionally targeting peacekeepers, the destruction of property, and pillaging. According to a mission of the European Union, the conflict resulted in 850 deaths and more than 100,000 internally displaced persons. Ten years later, the consequences of this conflict and serious international crimes committed continue to exist.
While no perpetrator of crimes against humanity committed 10 years ago has been charged, the survivors of this war continue to suffer from kidnappings, illegal detentions, and extortion on a daily basis due to the shifting demarcation line, the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL), which is not recognised by the international community. In February 2018, FIDH and HRIDC published a report assessing the ongoing impact of the 2008 Russia-Georgia conflict.
The Panel discussion will focus on the outcomes of the report as well as the continuous challenges of the ICC investigation. The Panel will consist of civil society actors both from Georgia and Russia who have been closely involved in documenting and addressing the international crimes committed during the 2008 conflict.