The Government of Georgia has approved a list of strategic and/or special objects, the blocking of which will result in criminal liability. The resolution signed by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze was published three days before the parliamentary elections, on October 23. The administrative building of the Central Election Commission is also included in this list.
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In August, a three-meter iron fence was erected near the Central Election Commission building, and a law enforcement officer was stationed inside the building. CEC Chairman Giorgi Kalandarishvili explained this measure as necessary for the safety and order of the employees. Additionally, in October, Prime Minister Kobakhidze's decree assigned state protection to the chairman of the CEC.
As per the new government decree, a list of objects of strategic and/or special importance was approved for the purposes of Article 222 and/or Article 330 of the Criminal Code.
- Article 222 states that the seizure or blocking of an object of strategic or special importance, which impedes or could impede the normal operation of this institution or object, is punishable by a fine, corrective labor for up to one year, or imprisonment for up to two years. The same act, if committed by a group or more than once, is punishable by two years of corrective labor or two to four years of imprisonment.
- Article 330 of the Criminal Code addresses the seizure or blocking of an object of strategic or special importance for terrorist purposes, which is a more serious crime and is punishable by 10 to 15 years in prison.
The status of "object of strategic and/or special importance" was granted to a total of 33 objects. In addition to the CEC, the list includes the administrative buildings of the government and presidential administrations, the prosecutor's office system, the Constitutional Court, general courts, the territory of the Georgian Patriarchate, and airports.
