Employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia accuses leadership of the ministry of degrading treatment

Ministry of Internal Affairs accused

Goga Razmadze, head of the regional department of the Human Rights Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, turned to the Special Investigation Service with a request to respond to an allegation of humiliating treatment.

As Razmadze notes, after the appointment of Deputy Minister Alexander Darakhvelidze as the curator of the department, the attitude towards the department and its employees changed. People began to be censored. The management began to control the public posts of employees, including the posts of Razmadze. As a result, he was forced to move to another position and because of this he began to be discriminated against.

Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Alexander Darakhvelidze considers the statements of an employee of the department about discrimination “a lie and absurdity.” According to him, the accusations are not based on any evidence.

However, according to public defender Levan Ioseliani, the ombudsman’s office has launched an investigation into Razmadze’s statement.

“He contacted the Office of the Public Defender, addressed me personally, and we have been studying this case for more than a week. The relevant department is investigating the matter and the public will be informed of the Public Defender’s position.

It is difficult to find out anything in a week, since such checks have their own procedure, and it will take time,” Ioseliani said.

“It is difficult to find out anything in a week, since such checks have their own procedure, and it will take time,” Ioseliani said.

According to Razmadze, an inspection was launched in the department. This process began spontaneously; the audit of the department was not included in the audit plan for 2023. Razmadze connects this with the reorganization, which will result in the dismissal of “undesirable” employees from the department and further weakening of the department’s functions.

According to Razmadze, he tried many times to talk with the deputy minister about the events taking place in the department and the planned inspection, but to no avail. On June 16 he decided to send an email to Darakhvelidze and the head of the department.

And on July 11, in connection with the letter, Razmadze was summoned to the Main Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. During the conversation, the Deputy Head of the Main Inspectorate, David Mindiashvili, behaved, according to Razmadze, in an insulting and degrading manner. And through psychological pressure, Mindiashvili forced him to write an explanatory note, says Razmadze, and in case of failure to comply, he threatened with dismissal from his job.

As a result, Razmadze turned to the Special Investigation Service with a request to start an investigation. In addition, Razmadze called on international and local organizations, ambassadors of foreign states, as well as the media to show interest in this case and not allow the safety of him and his family members to be endangered.

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“Suddenly, Deputy Head of the Main Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs David Mindiashvili entered the room. He started a conversation with me that lasted more than three hours. He singled me out because in a letter I wrote to my superiors, I expressed my opinion about the shortcomings in the department. Throughout the conversation, he treated me humiliatingly and offended my dignity. He casually mentioned the department where I work. He called me ambitious and told me what I do in my life. Through psychological pressure, he forced me to write an explanatory note. He discussed my personal Facebook posts with several colleagues and criticized them. Despite the fact that I asked to postpone the giving of explanations for another time, he did not allow me to leave the room and said that if I did not write an explanatory note, he would fire me from my job. This process was very difficult for me.

I’ll probably get fired anyway. At the cost of my mental health, I continue to fight for justice and my rights.

I will publicly appeal to the Special Investigation Service with a request to launch an operational investigation. I am ready to provide detailed information about the humiliating treatment I received during a conversation on July 11,” Razmadze writes in a Facebook post.

What does the human rights department do?

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Department for the Protection of Human Rights and Control over the Quality of the Investigation, within its competence, ensures a timely response and the effectiveness of the ongoing investigation of the following crimes:

family crimes;
violence against women;
crimes committed on the basis of discrimination and intolerance;
human trafficking;
crimes committed by/against minors;
crimes against life;
health crimes