DUSHANBE, August 13, 2008, Asia-Plus — On Wednesday August 13, the Federation Council (Russia’s upper chamber of parliament) appealed to parliaments of other countries to support the establishment of international tribunal for investigation of Georgian regime’s aggression against South Ossetia, according to the Russian Embassy in Dushanbe.
The document, in particular, said that with an active support from without the Georgian ruling regime launched armed aggression, unprecedented in its cruelty and inhumanity, against the peoples of South Ossetia. As a result of this act of genocide, thousands of civilians, including women, elderly people and children, have been killed, the document said, noting that a full-scale humanitarian catastrophe, attended by mass violations of human rights and freedoms, is obvious.
The appeal also requests to stop political and information support for Georgian leadership’s aggression against South Ossetia and calls for taking coordinated efforts with participation of international organizations to mitigate effects of the humanitarian catastrophe in South Ossetia.
According to Itar-Tass, Russia”s Investigations Committee under the Prosecutor-General’s Office (SKP) is gathering evidence of war crimes committed by Georgian authorities in South Ossetia for Russian and international probes, SKP chairman Alexander Bastrykin told Vesti FM radio on Wednesday. “We”re gathering proofs on this account both for an investigation by Russia and possible handover to international bodies,” Bastrykin said. He confirmed that “international law and conventions envision such an investigation against those who committed these crimes,” with heads of states being no exception. “We know examples from recent history,” he added. A group of 100 investigators is working in South Ossetia at present. “They receive full support both on the part of local authorities and the Russian military command.
In the meantime, Russia news agency RIA Novosti cited the Georgian National Security Council secretary Alexander Lomaya as saying that Georgia had filed a lawsuit against Russia at the International Court of Justice over alleged ethnic cleansing, “The suit contains material showing that Russia has committed ethnic cleansing against Georgia [during three interventions in South Ossetia and Abkhazia] from 1993 to 2008,” He said the suit, which was submitted Tuesday, was immediately accepted for consideration and a preliminary investigation had already started.
The court in The Hague, Netherlands, confirmed the filing, in which Georgia requested it order Russia to comply with an international genocide convention, halt military operations in Georgia, including South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and pull out its troops.
