‘’I do not agree that the investigation should have been started under the article of indifference [to duty]. The article it started with is good enough,’’ stated Mikheil Sarjveladze, the chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the Parliament, regarding the Shovi tragedy.
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According to him, loud statements on this issue are being made by the members of the opposition, none of whom have visited Shovi and seen the epicenter of the tragedy.
‘’It has been repeatedly stated that if during the investigation a circumstance is identified that leads to a need for change in qualification or to transfer the case to another investigative body, the decision will be appropriate. As for which article should the investigation have been started under, I honestly do not agree that it should have started under the article of indifference. The article under which the investigation was started is good enough. The investigation that started is quite sufficient for any matter regarding the Shovi tragedy.
The opposition had very loud statements on the Shovi tragedy and their determination looked very bad, as it was clearly felt that their desire was to exploit this huge tragedy for political gain and not to find out the truth.
This was evident from many things, including their requests for the creation of an investigative commission, and we saw other similar requests, but let’s not forget that none of those oppositionists, who talk about it loudly and actively, have visited the site and the epicenter of the disaster. If they are looking for the truth, maybe they will find it there, or conceive new questions, or just admit that this is a great tragedy and it’s ethically and morally unacceptable to try to gain political points from it. Unfortunately, this is the ethical standard of our opposition, and it looks bad to our society,’’ said Sarjveladze.
On August 3, in Racha, the mudslide from Buba Mountain almost completely destroyed the Shovi resort. The rescue operation started 3 hours late, and after nightfall, the pilots suspended the rescue efforts because the helicopters could not fly safely at night. So far, 25 bodies have been found and 8 people are still missing. Government officials maintain that avoiding the tragedy was impossible, which independent experts don’t agree with. Part of the opposition is demanding the creation of an investigative commission.
The investigation is being carried out under two articles, 116 and 240 of the Criminal Code, which involves wrongful death and violation of safety rules during mining, construction, or other work.
