Protesters Angry Over Georgia Election; EU Will Sustain Troops in Bosnia; UN Report Concludes Russia Downed Georgian Spy Plane

by Dan Forrest
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Europe

TBILISI, Georgia - Approximately 50,000 protesters gathered in Tbilisi today in one of the former Soviet Republic's largest showings of dissatisfaction its government.  They gathered in front of Georgia's parliament to protest last week's parliamentary election results.  In doing so, they smashed in barricades and amassed in front of parliament during what should have been a joyous independence day celebration.

Fortunately, no violent clashes between citizens have been reported.   

Preliminary results indicate that President Mikhail Saakashvili's party won the election by a landslide, winning about 120 of the total 150 seats.  Nevertheless, opposition leaders vow that they will not allow parliament to resume until the results are canceled and the parliament abolished. 

For more information, please see:

BBC - Protesters decry Georgia Election - 26 May 2008

International Herald Tribune - 50,000 turn out in Georgia to protest election results - 26 May 2008

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BRUSSELS, Belgium - EU ministers announced today that they will sustain 2,500 peacekeepers in Bosnia because current tensions in Kosovo could spill into other parts of the Balkans.  Since its independence was declared earlier this year, Kosovo has experienced a flurry of protests and tensions between the region's Albanian and Serbian populations. 

In part,Slovene Defense Minister Karl Erjavec also remarked that troops could not yet be removed from the region because Bosnia's leaders have failed to establish a new constitution.

This will slow down the EU's gradual reduction of troops from Bosnia which has been ongoing since 2004.  In an EU statement joined by other ministers, Erjavic said that the EU military presence will remain in Bosnia as long as it is deemed necessary.

For more information, please see:

Yahoo (AP) - EU to keep troops in Bosnia over Kosovo concerns - 26 May 2008

BBC - EU to cut troop numbers in Bosnia - 1 March 2007

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MOSCOW, Russia - A report released by the UN confirms that Russia shot down a Georgian spy plane over the separatist region Abkhazia last month.  Although Russia denied the allegations, radar tracking shows that, after the drone was shot down, the fighter jet returned to Russian airspace.  "Absent compelling evidence," the U.N. commented, "this leads to the conclusion that the aircraft belonged to the Russian air force." 

In its report, the U.N. scolded both Russia and Georgia.  While Russia's actions were "fundamentally inconsistent with a 1994 cease fire agreement," Georgia's monitoring mission was deemed unnecessary because it causes tension between the two sides. 

Russia and Georgia continue to be at odds over Georgia's separatist region of Abkhazia.  The Georgian government worries that Russia will recognize and perhaps assist this region in its bid for independence from Georgia. 

Rightfully so, the world community worries that further incidents between the two sides may lead to acts of impunity against Georgians and Russians caught in Abkhazia.

For more information, please see:

International Herald Tribune - Russian jet shot down Georgian spy plane, UN says - 26 May 2008

Yahoo (AP) - UN report says Russian plane downed Georgian drone - 26 May 2008