29 February 2008, 12:25
Meboniya: visit to Georgia of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights had formal character
Advocate Onise Meboniya asserts that the visit to Georgia of Louise Arbor, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, had an absolutely formal character and brought no essential results. On February 28, he stated that to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent after Ms Arbor's final press conference held in the "Courtyard" Hotel.
Prior to the start of the press conference, Mr Meboniya and a number of his colleagues tried to tell Louise Arbor about the situation with political prisoners in Igor Giorgadze's case, where Onise Meboniya is a defender. However, Ms Arbor refused to listen to the defender of political prisoners, having promised to hold a meeting after the press conference, which passed at the background of the protest action held at the hotel by prisoners' mothers.
"Two days ago we asked about a meeting with Louise Arbor, and it was scheduled for today. But then, we received a refusal. Local employees of the UN Office explained to us that the aim of Ms Arbor's visit was to get acquainted with the general situation in the sphere of human rights in Georgia, and particular cases are out of her interest. However, we were not invited to her meeting with representatives of the civil sector, probably, the organizers were afraid to have a non-standard meeting instead with objective criticism.
Author: Edita Badasian, CK correspondent
