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Article 5 security guarantee, which stipulates that an attack on one Nato member is an attack on all. Lawmakers are “seriously considering” the proposal, VOA reported in March.
2.4 Closing evidence heard at European court of human rights over Georgia and Russia’s 2008 conflict
In closing evidence given to the European court of human rights in Strasbourg on May 23, Georgia accused Russia of war crimes, human rights violations and a “rampage” across its territory during the military conflict between the countries nearly a decade ago in August 2008.
Georgia filed its claim in Strasbourg the day after the hostilities stopped. The dispute over what happened, and who was to blame for the war has reached its climax with Russia and Georgia giving their final speeches.
Moscow has complained repeatedly that the court is biased and politicised. It blames Georgia’s pro-Western former leader Mikheil Saakashvili for starting the conflict by sending soldiers to rebel-held South Ossetia. Moscow says its role was as honest peacekeeper.
Over the five days of fighting, Georgia has alleged to the court, Russian planes carried out more than 100 attacks on Georgian targets and there was overwhelming evidence that Russian bombs were dropped on civilian areas, killing and injuring innocent people. Evidence presented included witness statements, satellite footage, and video and phone intercepts.
The government in Tbilisi told the court approximately 30,000 soldiers were deployed by Russia. They moved into Georgia’s two breakaway provinces, South Ossetia and Abkhazia when the conflict broke out, it contended.
Ben Emmerson QC, acting for Georgia, said Moscow’s control of these territories was part of a plan “years in the making”. Both before and after a ceasefire, Russian ground troops entered ethnic Georgian villages, he added, sealing off entrances and exits. Ossetian forces and other irregular soldiers then systematically burned down Georgian homes and entire villages, he claimed, adding that they carried out summary executions and threatened individuals with death if they refused to leave.
2.5 Democracy in Armenia and Georgia deteriorated slightly in 2017, Freedom House concludes
Armenia's corruption index rating declined from 5.25 to 5.50 in 2017 as a result of the solidification of the system of graft under the rule of the Republican Party, watchdog Freedom House wrote in its latest report on freedom in the world published on April 11.
Armenia's transition from a presidential to a parliamentary republic, currently underway, took place after a heavily flawed referendum in 2015, according to Freedom House, in which there were reports of the abuse of administrative resources, voter intimidation, the alteration of votes and fraudulent voting.
In 2017, the country held relatively uneventful parliamentary elections, which
9 GEORGIA Country Report June 2018 www.intellinews.com