Georgian Deputy Justice Minister says crucial evidence “was absent” in several cases over 2008 Russian invasion of country

Beka Dzamashvili, the Deputy Minister of Justice of Georgia, on Monday said crucial evidence was absent in several cases over the 2008 Russian invasion of the country.

In his remarks at a session of a temporary investigative commission of the Parliament examining alleged crimes committed by the former United National Movement Government between 2003- 2012, Dzamashvili noted that international courts required solid evidence to make judgments, adding that while the Georgian public may have had an understanding of what truly happened in 2008, it was essential to substantiate Georgia's truth with specific proof.

He further added that Russia had used the Iskander missile on August 12, 2008, at a time when the Georgian side had already ceased military operations.

He emphasised that this cluster missile was known for its exceptional precision and represented a crucial piece of evidence for proving in international courts that Russia had deliberately and intentionally targeted Georgian civilians, however, he stressed that “not only was this evidence missing from the legal dispute - it was not even found in Georgia”.

“For example, one of the most critical aspects of the case should have been direct evidence of Russia’s aerial bombardment of Georgian villages and cities. Yet, there was no such evidence in the case files, and we had to reconstruct these materials from scratch years later. The loss of the Iskander missile is well known to the public. It was considered “golden evidence” because it could have helped establish the truth about what happened”, the official said.

He reiterated that Russia had launched the Iskander missile on August 12, a key date, as since August 10, Georgia had already unilaterally halted military operations.

By that point, there was no longer any military presence in the city of Gori - only civilians remained.

“This cluster missile had exceptional accuracy, meaning it struck exactly where it was aimed. It was a crucial piece of evidence that should have confirmed that Russia deliberately and intentionally used cluster munitions against Georgia’s civilian population. When we reviewed the case, we realised that we needed to prove this in international courts, only to discover that the key evidence was not just missing from the case - it was entirely absent from Georgia”, Dzamashvili explained.

He also noted that, in the initial stages, Georgia only had footage and photographs of the Iskander missile, which Russia dismissed as photoshopped fabrications, adding that as a result, the Ministry of Justice had spent years tracking down the missile fragments and ensuring their return to Georgia before court rulings were issued.

“In the early stages of proceedings at the European Court of Human Rights, we only had certain images and video footage. For years, Russia successfully argued that these were photoshopped, claiming that if the missile had indeed fallen in Georgia, the Georgian side would have its remains. It took years for the Georgian government and the Ministry of Justice to track down these fragments, retrieve them, and present this crucial evidence before the courts rendered their decisions”, Dzamashvili concluded.