Georgia

Mine Ban Policy

Georgia has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty. In September 2006, Georgia told States Parties, “Over the years one of the principle reasons for not acceding to the convention has been the existence of the territories uncontrolled by the central authorities of the state and therefore, incapability to fulfill the obligations put forward in the convention. However, it has to be mentioned that discussions concerning the possibility of reconsideration of the above-stated position have started.”^[1]

In April 2007 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “Georgia is well aware that the negative impact of landmines far outweighs their military value, and tries to make its possible contribution in facilitation of the process of elimination and eradication of this threat.… Georgia fully shares the principles and objectives of the Ottawa Convention and the concern of the international community regarding the challenge of anti-personnel landmines. It expressed support for the global ban on anti-personnel mines on several occasions. It should be emphasized that Georgia has voted in favor of every annual UN General Assembly resolution supporting a ban on anti-personnel mines since 1996, including UNGA resolution 61/84 in December 2006 and is intended to continue to vote in favour of it in the future.”^[2]

Georgia attended, as an observer, the Seventh Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in September 2006 and intersessional Standing Committee meetings in May 2006 and April 2007, making statements on each occasion regarding its views on and situation with antipersonnel mines. It noted at the September meeting, “There was an intention to establish a permanent working group on landmines by the National Security Council of Georgia, but due to recent reorganization of the Council the issue is still open.”^[3]

Georgia is a party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its original Protocol II, though it has not ratified Amended Protocol II for the same reason as not joining the Mine Ban Treaty.^[4] Georgia is not party to CCW Protocol V on explosive remnants of war.

Representatives of Georgia were invited to but did not attend a workshop on Confidence-Building and Regional Cooperation through Mine Action in Central Asia, held in March 2007 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Two NGOs from Georgia participated in the workshop, the ICBL Georgian Committee (ICBL-GC) and Disarmament & Nonviolence.

In September 2006 the Swiss NGO Geneva Call launched a program in the South Caucasus. It has conducted visits to Georgia and Tskhinvali region of South Ossetia, as well as Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh.^[5] In April 2007 Geneva Call conducted a workshop on the mine issue in Tbilisi, which was attended by eight local and international NGOs. In June it conducted a similar workshop in Tskhinvali, which was attended by 12 NGOs and local media.^[6]

Production, Transfer and Stockpiling

Georgian officials maintain that Georgia has never produced, exported or imported antipersonnel landmines since independence.^[7] Georgia inherited what is believed to be a small stockpile of antipersonnel mines from the former Soviet Union, but the exact size and composition of that stock remains unknown.^[8] According to a Ministry of Defense official, Georgia’s moratorium on use (see below) also covers production and transfer.^[9]

Use

Georgia has had an official moratorium on the use of antipersonnel mines in place since September 1996.^[10] At the April 2007 Standing Committee meetings Georgia stated, “Since that time corresponding official structures of Georgia have been strictly refraining from use of anti-personnel mines. I have the chance to confirm my country’s firm resolution to keep this commitment in the future.”^[11] In May 2005 the Ministry of Defense told the ICBL that the operational plan of the Georgian Armed Forces does not include mine use.^[12]

However, opposition forces and Russian peacekeepers have alleged that Georgian forces laid new mines in Kodori Gorge in July 2006 and in South Ossetia in 2006 and 2007. Landmine Monitor has not been able to confirm the allegations. Despite its denial of past use, it appears that Georgian Armed Forces used antipersonnel mines every year from 2001 to 2004.^[13] Landmine Monitor did not receive any allegations of mine use by the Armed Forces in 2005.

Kodori Gorge

The Kodori Gorge is a narrow river valley in the administrative region Zemo-Abkhazia adjoining the Abkhazia breakaway region of Georgia. Paramilitary organizations allied with Georgia occupied the northern section of the gorge in mid-2006.^[14] In mid-July 2006 new conflict erupted after a paramilitary leader refused to disarm and declared autonomy from Georgia. Georgian security forces responded by invading the gorge and seizing control of its northern section. There were reports and allegations of mine use by both Georgian forces and paramilitary units. Landmine Monitor has not been able to confirm these reports and allegations, which usually did not clearly refer to antipersonnel mines.

Russian peacekeepers alleged that Georgian forces laid new mines near a new Georgian checkpoint, on the northern side of Broken Bridge, the point of separation between Abkhazian and Georgian controlled sections of the gorge.^[15] Abkhazian officials accused Georgian troops of mining roads and bridges in the upper part of the gorge.^[16] They also said Georgian forces were using booby-traps and landmines capable of detonation by mine detection tools.^[17]

While not referring specifically to the Kodori Gorge operation, Georgia told Mine Ban Treaty States Parties in September 2006 and again in April 2007 that it had not used antipersonnel mines since 1996.^[18]

Some members of the paramilitary group were reportedly killed while attempting to place a mine during the conflict.^[19] Georgian forces recovered stocks of weapons, including mines, in the gorge.^[20] In December 2006 United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) military observers, UN police and officers from the CIS peacekeeping force monitored the disposal and in some cases destruction of arms recovered by Georgian forces in the July operation in the gorge. UNOMIG reported that mines recovered by Georgia were not destroyed, and were transferred to the Georgian Ministry of Defense.^[21]

Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia

Tensions and conflict in South Ossetia increased in mid and late 2006, and there were reports of casualties caused by newly laid antipersonnel mines. In May 2007 Russian peacekeepers stated that new landmines were being laid and fortifications were being renewed.^[22] In May 2007 a Georgian woman sustained fragmentation wounds from a tripwired mine planted 100 meters from a Georgian checkpoint at the entrance to Ergneti village.^[23] In January 2007 two Russian soldiers were seriously injured by a mine in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone, near the village Tsveriakho. The Ossetian forces and Russian peacekeepers accused Georgians of mining the territory.^[24] In November 2006 two people from Georgian and Ossetian communities were reported to be casualties of landmines.^[25] In July 2006 a Russian peacekeeper was severely injured by a landmine near the Pauk checkpoint outside the village of Achabeti.^[26] A youth was reportedly killed by a landmine in the early part of the month.^[27]

In April 2007 Georgia stated, “In recent years, the South Ossetian separatists accused the official Georgian side in mining the territories of the conflict area, however, it must be stressed, that all allegations of that sort do not reflect the real picture – the Georgian Armed Forces and other relevant structures strictly follow the declared moratorium [on use].”^[28] In 2005, a military advisor to the President of Georgia told the ICBL that Georgian military forces in South Ossetia laid only remote-controlled Claymore mines, and removed them when leaving the territory.^[29] The Deputy Minister of Defense noted that both armed forces in South Ossetia were supported by militias, and he could not guarantee that militias did not use antipersonnel mines.^[30]

No mine risk education was reported for Georgia after HALO suspended operations in early 2006.^[31]

Landmine and ERW Problem

Georgia is affected by landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). The majority of the landmines in Georgia are located near the Ingur river that divides Abkhazia from the rest of Georgia. The remaining threat comes mainly from mines laid around existing and former Russian military bases. At least five bases are considered mine-affected, but the total number may be higher since Georgia claims that it did not receive information from Russia on mined areas, including the types of mines laid or maps of their locations.^[32]

A mine/ERW threat also appears to exist in the separatist region of South Ossetia. According to the International Crisis Group, “mines have killed and maimed troops and civilians from all sides, specially shepherds and villagers collecting wood.”^[33] Several mine blasts were reported during 2006 in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict area.^[34] For instance, in September 2006 a man was reported by the Minister of Conflict Resolution Issues to have been badly injured by a mine (although a news agency claimed that the device was a rocket-propelled grenade).^[35] In January 2007 two Russian peacekeepers were severely injured by a mine, and in May a woman civilian was injured by a mine.^[36]

The extent of this contamination is unknown; previous surveys and assessments by international mine action organizations concluded the mine problem was minor and its impact was low. HALO closed its operations in Georgia in early 2006.^[37]

Mine Action

There is no formal mine action program in Georgia, and there is no single national authority responsible for mine action coordination.^[38] Clearance of populated areas, roads and railroads is undertaken by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, while the special engineering unit of the Georgian Armed Forces is in charge of clearing military zones and bases.^[39]

A Georgian official stated during the Standing Committee meetings in April 2007 that Georgia needed assistance with several aspects of mine action, including program management, clearance and impact survey.^[40]

General Kulakhmetov, commander of the Joint Peacekeeping Force in Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), has repeatedly called for more “guidance and decisiveness” from the Joint Control Commission on security issues, including mine clearance.^[41] No demining activity has taken place within South Ossetia.^[42] In May 2005 it was reported that the Joint Peacekeeping Forces (Russian, Georgian and North Ossetian) had drawn up maps of mined territories.^[43] In 2007 the Russian peacekeeping forces informed the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe that they were ready to support demining operations, provided all parties to the conflict participated. Information about minefields was exchanged and funds were allocated. They stated that Russian forces have been demining the area under their control since 1992, and an engineering unit disarmed 120 antipersonnel and antivehicle mines during 2006.^[44]

Landmine/ERW Casualties

In 2006 the ICBL Georgian Committee (ICBL-GC) collected data from media reports on 31 new casualties (12 people killed and 19 injured) caused by landmines, ERW or improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Three casualties were children, two women and eight military. This is a significant increase compared to 2005 (16 casualties) and a decrease from 2004 (53).^[45] Eleven mine/UXO/IED casualties were identified by Landmine Monitor in media reports; seven occurred in the South Ossetia conflict zone, including one casualty that the Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues reported as a mine incident though media sources reported a “rocket-propelled grenade” attack.^[46] Five other mine casualties were reported in South Ossetia including two Russian peacekeepers; an IED/booby-trap casualty was also reported.^[47] Casualties continued to occur in 2007.

There is no comprehensive mine/ERW casualty data collection mechanism in Georgia and the total number of mine casualties is not known. ICBL-GC has recorded 383 casualties from 2001 to May 2007. The ICBL-GC media database is the only source of information on mine/ERW casualties in Georgia; HALO collects casualty data in the territory of Abkhazia, but ceased casualty data collection in Georgia-proper in August 2005. In 2004 ICBL-GC was said to be developing a more detailed mine casualty database, in part to address doubts regarding accuracy of its data.^[48] No further progress was reported as of June 2007. The ICBL-GC casualty data for 2006 included some 21 casualties for which no detailed information was available.^[49]

As of May 2007 the Georgian Foundation for Prosthetic and Orthopedic Rehabilitation (GEFPOR) registered 357 amputee mine survivors, including survivors from conflicts in World War II, Afghanistan, Abkhazia and Chechnya.  Of the total, 6.8 percent were female and 31.8 percent were military.^[50]  HALO recorded 27 mine casualties in Georgia, excluding Abkhazia, between 2001 and 2005.  It is estimated that there are more than 5,000 amputees in Georgia.^[51]

Survivor Assistance

Medical and rehabilitation care in Georgia suffers from a lack of state funding resulting in lack of supplies.^[52] According to UNICEF, mine/ERW survivors in South Ossetia and Abkhazia “are not afforded any physical or psychological support” and the parents of child survivors lacked assistance.^[53]

Completion of the renovation of all major hospitals in Georgia, including Zugdidi, was planned for 2007.^[54] The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) completed critical repairs to the Republican Hospital in Tskhinvali in the Georgia/South Ossetia conflict zone in November 2006.^[55] ICRC covered prosthetic treatment costs at the Vladikavkaz Orthopedic Center in the Russian Federation for four patients (including one mine survivor) from South Ossetia in 2006; local authorities covered transport and accommodation costs. ICRC identified 20 people for assistance in Vladikavkaz in 2007, including five mine/ERW survivors. In June 2007 an ICRC ortho-prosthetist trained two Vladikavkaz technicians in new techniques appropriate for some patients awaiting treatment in 2007.^[56]

GEFPOR in Tbilisi and the Gagra Orthopedic Center in Abkhazia, supported by ICRC, are the main facilities providing prostheses and physical rehabilitation in the region. In 2006, 11 percent of the prosthetics produced by GEFPOR were for mine survivors (34 of 310), a rate equal to 2005.^[57] ICRC continued to reimburse over half the costs of services at GEFPOR.^[58] Since 2005 the GEFPOR budget has been supplemented by the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs and the sale of minor appliances.^[59]

The NGO Association of Disabled Women and Mothers of Disabled Children (ADW) promoted disability issues and provided assistance to some 400 beneficiaries (including 140 survivors) in the Zugdidi region in 2006. ADW provided wheelchairs and crutches to five survivors and training and legal aid to the others. In 2007 ADW supported education of one child mine survivor. Funding of future programs remained a challenge.^[60]

ICBL-GC initiated a vocational training project in 2007 to provide employment and small business skills to 40-50 mine/ERW survivors and other people with disabilities.^[61]

In June 2006, the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs, NGOs and service providers met to discuss the development of a national physical rehabilitation policy based on a 2005 ICRC needs assessment; no action had been reported as of June 2007.^[62]

The June 1995 Law on the Social Protection of the Disabled was not fully implemented and people with disabilities faced discrimination in employment, education, access to healthcare and other state services.^[63] As of 21 June 2007 Georgia was not a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.