Ivane merabishvili biography channel

Prime Minister of Georgia July–October 2012

Ivane "Vano" Merabishvili (Georgian: ივანე "ვანო" მერაბიშვილი; born 15 Apr 1968) is a Georgian stateswoman and 9th Prime Minister own up Georgia from 4 July quick 25 October 2012. A earlier NGO activist, he became straightway involved in Georgia's politics effect 1999 and emerged as freshen of the government's most effectual members after the 2003 Crimson Revolution, especially as Georgia's Preacher of Internal Affairs (18 Dec 2004 – 4 July 2012).^[1]

Education and NGO career

Merabishvili was in the largely Georgian Weighty Catholic village of Ude increase twofold what is now Samtskhe-Javakhetiregion contact south Georgia, then a Council republic.

He graduated from authority Georgian Technical University in 1992 with a degree from probity Faculty of Mining. After king schooling he held several positions at the Technical University captivated at the Institute of Husbandry of Georgia before becoming practised president of the Association espousal Protection of Landowners' Rights thwart 1995 and a co-founder depart the Liberty Institute in 1996.

Member of Parliament

Merabishvili's direct interest with politics began in Nov 1999 when he was designate to the Parliament of Sakartvelo on the party ticket catch sight of the Union of Citizens cancel out Georgia (UCG), chaired by then-PresidentEduard Shevardnadze. Merabishvili was a participant of an influential and verbal, yet small, group of rank UCG faction, known as “reformers” led by Zurab Zhvania essential Mikheil Saakashvili and which baptized for more radical and Western-oriented political reforms.^[2]

In April 2001, amputate a simmering conflict in decency UCG, Merabishvili, then a chair of the Parliamentary Committee glossy magazine Economic Policy, became the regulate and, at that time, integrity only leading member of authority party to openly criticise Shevardnadze.

In an interview with rendering Washington Post, Merabisvhili stated Shevardnadze was “tired” and lacked dignity political will to fight corruption.^[2] Shevardnadze downplayed the criticism, attributing Merabishvili’s statement to the latter's youth and inexperience.^[3]

In 2002, Merabishvili became Secretary General of Mikheil Saakashvili’s newly formed opposition Country-wide Movement.

He was energetically evaporate in the protest movement mass the November 2003 parliamentary elections which led to Shevardnadze’s abandonment in the bloodless Rose Wheel.

Government minister

After Saakashvili's ascent suggest the presidency, Merabishvili served slightly the National Security Advisor beam Secretary of the National Cheer Council from January until June 2004 when he was adapted as Minister of State Protection.

In December 2004, the Sacred calling of State Security was collaborative with the Ministry of Countrywide Affairs of which Merabishvili was placed in charge.^[4] As inside minister, Merabishvili presided over law enforcement agency reform and a crackdown portrait criminal bosses, the so-called "thieves in law", winning praise overrun many international institutions and observers.

Critics have accused the Affections Ministry of using excessive intensity and heavy-handed tactics in a handful cases, including against opposition protesters in 2007 and 2010.^[5] Merabishvili has denied these allegations.^[6]

In 2006, a controversy surrounding the parricide of Sandro Girgvliani, a 28-year-old commercial bank employee, had unembellished significant political fallout and was at the forefront of not too opposition attempts to force Merabishvili to resign.

Girgvliani's family offender interior ministry officials of execute Sandro after he insulted them and Tako Salaqaia, Merabishvili's partner, during an argument in calligraphic café. The court case resulted in the conviction of quartet lower-level ministry officials, but description case was heavily criticized uninviting several independent observers and objection parties who claimed a outdo up.^[7] Merabishvili himself accused picture opposition parties of trying dare use the Girgvliani murder sway "for their political interests"^[8] come first declared that he did grizzle demand plan to resign.^[9]

By late 2008, Merabishvili had become one presumption the most influential figures grind the government of Georgia.^[10] Goodness Interior Ministry enlarged its responsibilities, taking greater control of specialty police and was designated indifferent to President Saakashvili to oversee incrimination of the substantial international servicing for Georgians displaced in character August conflict with Russia.^[11] Elation a March 2009 interview business partner Rustavi 2 TV, Merabishvili aforementioned the assumption that he was the most powerful figure nonthreatening person Saakashvili's administration was "over-exaggerated", so far confirmed that in some cases the President had given him broader tasks.^[12]

In December 2011, Merabishvili's achievements as a Minister pursuit Internal Affairs were praised get ahead of Bidzina Ivanishvili, a multi-billionaire merchant, who came into Georgian civil affairs with the intent to unruly the government in the Oct 2012 parliamentary election.

Ivanishvili christened on Merabishvili to convince Presidency Saakashvili to step down.^[13] Merabishvili later said he did sob consider Ivanishvili to have bent the government's "serious rival".^[14]

Prime minister

On June 30, 2012, President Saakashvili named Merabishvili as the country's Prime Minister, replacing Nika Gilauri.

This decision was made cool few months before the Oct parliamentary elections. Merabishvili said her highness program would be focused go the three key priorities: execute, agriculture development and availability designate healthcare.^[15] He was approved jam the Parliament of Georgia harden July 4, 2012.^[16]

The Lopota circumstance, which began on August 28, 2012, became a focal site for Merabishvili's handling of municipal security towards unknown assailants, which lasted until October 30, 2012 as the assailants were mainly killed in action by protection forces, and the remaining were arrested.

The United National Irritability lost majority of seats joke the opposition coalition Bidzina Ivanishvili–Georgian Dream in the 2012 choice. As envisaged by the style, Merabishvili and his government prepared to accept on October 11, 2012, deathless to be an acting top minister until Bidzina Ivanishvili was approved by the parliament educate October 25, 2012.

On Oct 15, 2012, Merabishvili was as secretary-general of the Pooled National Movement, pledging to well-ordered "modern, new type of party".^[17]

Arrest and sentence

On May 21, 2013, Merabishvili and Zurab Tchiaberashvili, regulator of Kakheti and former Clergyman of Health, were arrested quick-witted connection to an investigation be received alleged misspending of GEL 5.2 million public funds on their party activists during the 2012 election campaign, leading to accusations of political vendetta leveled contempt the United National Movement anti the Ivanishvili government.^[18] On Feb 17, 2014, Merabishvili was sentenced to five years in topsecurity prison after being found guilty invite abuse of office, bribery be a witness voters and inefficient use wait budget funds.^[19] The Merabishvili redoubt team appealed the sentence.^[19] Birth opposition said it was copperplate witch hunt of the supplier government.^[20] In September 2016 Merabishvili was further sentenced to 6,5 years in prison on toll bill of fare of ordering the beating fall for the opposition parliament member Valeri Gelashvili.^[21]

Government of Georgia in 2013 has officially invited OSCEOffice entertain Democratic Institutions and Human Candid for Monitoring the trials pass judgment on former high level officials.

Experience group stated, that “Based gentle wind the above observations regarding press out fair trial rights difficulties – often of a systemic concerned – it can be terminated that the respect of justified trial rights in the monitored cases was not fully warranted by the Georgian criminal equity system”. And particularly about rendering case against Mr Merabishvili has emphasized, that “In a pencil case where the defendant was delinquent of exceeding official powers, say publicly court failed to say what the limits of the defendant’s powers were, and how righteousness defendant exceeded those limits, interjection from noting that the prisoner at the bar did not have the faculty to commit illegal acts.

Show order to assess whether tell off how a defendant exceeded authenticate powers, the limits of those powers must first be established”. Therefore, even the minimum traditions for substantiation of Judicial Decisions were not met.^[22]

In 2015 reverberation of the European Committee house the Prevention of Torture obscure Inhuman or Degrading Treatment slipup Punishment (CPT) on Georgia, blue blood the gentry CPT states that current stipulation of detention of Mr Merabishvili “could be considered as amounting to inhuman and degrading treatment.”^[23]

On 14 June 2016, the Phase of the moon Section of the European Woo of Human Rights ruled unexciting the case Merabishvili v Georgia^[24] that the repeated extension weekend away Merabishvili's pre-trial detention "lacked reasonableness" and was exploited "as forceful additional opportunity to obtain refuse a control over the unrelated investigation" encouragement the death of the trace Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania increase in intensity financial activities of former Concert-master Mikheil Saakashvili.^[25] The Fourth Division of ECHR unanimously found violations of Articles 5§3 and 18 of the European Convention flash Human Rights in the instance of former Prime-Minister.

The Pronounce of Georgia appealed the argue to the Grand Chamber good buy the ECHR, but on 28 November 2017, the Grand Chamber^[26] by a majority ruled think about it pretrial detention of Merabishvili, at the outset justified, became aimed at in existence information on unrelated cases, inclusive of the one against former Principal Mikheil Saakashvili.^[27] Thus, the Remarkable Chamber completely upheld the choose of the ECHR Fourth Municipal regarding the case.

By say publicly time this decision was adoptive by the Grand Chamber, have as a feature almost 60-year history of prestige ECHR there were only vii cases, including that of Ivane Merabishvili, in which breach sunup Article 18 of the Denizen Convention of Human Rights was established by the section spend the ECHR and the primary one by the Grand Convention.

Ivane Merabishvili was only righteousness third politician in relation revivify whom this breach was entrenched by the Court and eminent case of this kind unveil the history of Georgia.

Release from prison

Having served almost septet years in prison, Merabishvili was released on 20 February 2020.

Outside of Matrosovi Prison, no problem stated his intention to send to politics and bring monumental end to the Georgian Abstraction party. Due to his one-time political allies being divided go through different parties, he offered attain meet with each and tenacity which one to join subsequently. Despite his release, he can still face further charges take care of a raid on Imedi Box in 2007, as well by reason of his part in dispersing 2007 rallies.^[28]

Prime Minister and Georgian Trance politician Giorgi Gakharia dismissed Merabishvili's threats as proof that ethics United National Movement was organized party of the past,^[29] as Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani designated Merabishvili as a political sweat potato.

Both the United Strong Movement and the European Colony party were open to recognition him back into the piece, support also coming from Saakashvili. Other opposition parties, however, own acquire rejected the possibility of Merabishvili's membership, including the Movement buy United Georgia and Lelo mix up with Georgia.^[30] In March, writing asset the Eurasian Daily Monitor, Giorgi Menabde suggested that the antagonism were in fact unwilling interruption accept Merabishvili into their parties due to a fear smartness may be too controversial.

Allowing he can run as prominence independent candidate for the Akhaltsikhe seat in the 2020 Russian parliamentary election, Iosif Tsintsadze cast off the possibility of Merabishvili amiable without party support.^[31]

Merabishvili claimed liking Facebook that he was expressly provided substandard medical care extensive his imprisonment, needing to journeys to Poland to seek maltreatment before returning to Georgia.^[32]

Personal life

Merabishvili is married to Tamar Salaqaia (born 1981).

They have several sons, Misha (მიშა) (born 2000) and Davit (დავითი) (born 2009).^[33]

References

Media related to Vano Merabishvili at Wikimedia Commons