Justice or Injustice In Georgia? The First 100 Days After the Power Transfer

In October 2012, Georgians elected a new government. The leader of the newly formed opposition coalition, Georgian Dream (GD), Bizina Ivanishvili, was elected Georgia’s prime minister. GD formed a new Cabinet of Ministers, while President Mikheil Saakashvili remains in office until the presidential elections this October. Upon assuming office, new law enforcement officials announced the intention to prosecute officials of the Saakashvili government for human rights abuses committed while in office. This crackdown has not gone unnoticed by the international community. Is the new Georgian government purging members of the previous government for political reasons, or are these measures needed? Now that the first 100 days have passed since the transfer of power in Georgia, the actions of the new Ivanishvili government can be viewed with some degree of perspective. This is the time to reassess Ivanishvili’s efforts to reform the law and justice system in Georgia.