In the past several days, NGOs called for the resignation of the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Minister of Justice, and the Chief Prosecutor of Georgia, together with other demands.

In response to this demand, yesterday, on September 20, the Minister of Internal Affairs resigned from his office, by which he demonstrated his moral responsibility for the incidents that had taken place. However, holding him morally responsible is not going to be sufficient. With the zero tolerance policy in place in Georgia, it is logical to launch an investigation into his personal culpability, because, as we have noted several times, his name is directly associated with the introduction of methods of inhumane treatment in the penitentiary system and with gross and massive violations of human rights. Accordingly, Bacho Akhalaia’s resignation from office cannot be a sufficient and proportional measure.

In addition, the authorities continue to disregard the NGOs’ demand for launching an impartial and independent investigation, because the Minister of Justice and the Chief Prosecutor of Georgia, who failed to respond to human rights abuses in prisons for years and can exert a direct influence on the process of investigation, remain in office. Once again, we emphasize that they could not have been unaware of these abuses when such a systemic crime was taking place.