Georgia: Russian Cluster Bombs Kill Civilians

Stop Using Weapon Banned by 107 Nations

(Tbilisi, August 15, 2008) – Human Rights Watch researchers have uncovered evidence that Russian aircraft dropped cluster bombs in populated areas in Georgia, killing at least 11 civilians and injuring dozens, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch called upon Russia to immediately stop using cluster bombs, weapons so dangerous to civilians that more than 100 nations have agreed to ban their use.

“Cluster bombs are indiscriminate killers that most nations have agreed to outlaw,” said Marc Garlasco, senior military analyst at Human Rights Watch. “Russia’s use of this weapon is not only deadly to civilians, but also an insult to international efforts to avoid a global humanitarian disaster of the kind caused by landmines.”

Human Rights Watch said Russian aircraft dropped RBK-250 cluster bombs, each containing 30 PTAB 2.5M submunitions, on the town of Ruisi in the Kareli district of Georgia on August 12, 2008. Three civilians were killed and five wounded in the attack. On the same day, a cluster strike in the center of the town of Gori killed at least eight civilians and injured dozens, Human Rights Watch said. Dutch journalist Stan Storimans was among the dead. Israeli journalist Zadok Yehezkeli was seriously wounded and evacuated to Israel for treatment after surgery in Tbilisi. An armored vehicle from the Reuters news agency was perforated with shrapnel from the attack.
This is the first known use of cluster munitions since 2006, during Israel’s war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Cluster munitions contain dozens or hundreds of smaller submunitions or bomblets. They cause unacceptable humanitarian harm in two ways. First, their broad-area effect kills and injures civilians indiscriminately during strikes. Second, many submunitions do not explode, becoming de facto landmines that cause civilian casualties for months or years to come. In May 2008, 107 nations agreed to a total ban on cluster munitions, but Russia did not participate in the talks.

Human Rights Watch researchers interviewed numerous victims, doctors, and military personnel in Georgia. They examined photos of craters and video footage of the August 12 attack on Gori. Human Rights Watch has also seen a photo of the submunition carrier assembly and nose cone of an RBK-250 bomb in Gori. The Gori video showed more than two dozen simultaneous explosions during the attack, which is characteristic of cluster bombs. Two persons wounded in Gori described multiple simultaneous explosions at the time of the attack. Craters in Gori were also consistent with a cluster strike.

Doctors at the two main hospitals in Tbilisi described numerous injuries to civilians hurt in the attack on Gori they believed were consistent with cluster bombs. Human Rights Watch researchers saw a submunition fragment extracted from one victim’s head.

Human Rights Watch interviewed several hospitalized victims of the attack in Gori. Twenty-five-year-old Keti Javakhishvili suffered massive trauma to her liver, stomach, and intestines, as well as hemorrhagic shock. Two other victims sustained fragment wounds to their legs and abdominal regions. All the wounds were consistent with those caused by submunitions from cluster bombs.

Photographic evidence on file with Human Rights Watch shows a civilian in Ruisi holding a PTAB submunition without realizing it could explode at the slightest touch. This incident highlights the dire need to educate immediately the population of Georgia about the dangers of these submunition “duds.”

Human Rights Watch called on Russia to provide precise strike data on its cluster attacks in order to facilitate clean up of the inevitable lingering contamination from cluster bomb submunitions that failed to explode on contact but remain deadly.

Human Rights Watch also called on Georgia, which is known to have RBK-500 cluster bombs in its stockpiles, to join the international move to ban the use of cluster munitions and publicly to undertake not to use such weapons in this conflict.

Russia was not part of the Oslo Process launched in February 2007 to develop a new international treaty banning cluster munitions. In May 2008, 107 nations adopted the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which comprehensively bans the use, production, trade and stockpiling of the weapon. It will be open for signature in Oslo on December 3, 2008.

“Russia should never have fired cluster munitions against a town in Georgia and now it should help in the clean-up to avoid any more deaths,” Garlasco said.

Russia Unveiled: Georgia under Attack

Brothers and Sisters,

August 8 2008 when the whole world was following the spectacular opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing rejoicing with global peace and unity of nations, Georgian people had to observe scenes very much different from the gorgeous show staged on the Beijing Olympic Stadium.

What we saw was alien military aircrafts flying over and throwing bombs on our peaceful villages nestled up in high mountains, historical towns in the heart of our country and the capital city of Tbilisi.

For millennia, we, Georgians, have lived here in the Caucasus and fought to defend ourselves. One can easily say our history has been the history of defense and constant fear for extinction. Only Tbilisi that has been our capital for the last 15 hundred years has been burned down dozens of times. This small Caucasian country and nation of only 5 million inhabitants have witnessed all the invaders that existed on Eurasian continent at any particular point of history that attacked us from all the sides of the world.

And yet, during all this time we also built and laid foundation to a beautiful country and original culture that embraced and welcomed all the civilizations at this crossroads of the Orient and Occident. Our cities gave shelter to merchants, travelers, and just ordinary people of most diverse origins, races, languages and faiths.

Official religion being Orthodox Christianity, our kings visited Muslim mosques on Fridays and Christian inhabitants of Tbilisi would not keep pigs in their yards not to offend their Muslim and Jewish neighbors. Our cities still bustle with voices speaking Georgian as much as Armenian, Russian, Azeri, Kurdish, Greek and many others.

Our children have grown in multicultural neighborhoods embracing and accepting descendants of all these peoples as their compatriots and brothers. We do not like making distinction in race and pointing to a person’s nationality is regarded in Georgia as expression of nasty taste and bad form. Travelers are sincerely impressed and surprised to find an area of about one square kilometer in the center of Tbilisi with a synagogue, mosque, and orthodox, Gregorian and catholic churches standing side by side and visited every Friday, Saturday and Sunday by believers who live likewise side-by-side and in completely peaceful and sweet neighborly atmosphere in the city.

After the final blow to the sovereignty of Georgia by the Russian Empire in 1801 and all the atrocities committed by the Communist regime against our physical existence, love of our country and personal dignity the country managed to get on its feet in the beginning of the 21^st century. We have once again set a firm direction for the development of our society – towards democracy, rule of law and European values; after all, so far the first human remains in Europe have been found in Georgia and our art and culture as well as governance forms were one of the first to enjoy the revitalizing touch of Renascent human thought back in the 13^th century.

It was our choice to build a free nation that respects human rights and fundamental values underlying a modern civilized society.

We want to head west without rejecting our close brotherly ties with the east and the whole Caucasus region. Slowly, like a child that is only starting to walk we are rebuilding our society, making roads, arranging infrastructure, trying to make people’s lives better

and happier. For the last several years Georgia has enjoyed an incredibly boosting inflow of foreign investments and foreign tourists that wish to see with their own eyes the place where the wine was born, where the ancient Georgian tribes mentioned even in the Bible have been one of the first in the world to mine and process precious metals and steel; where Argonauts met Medea – a Georgian princess of the people that guarded Golden Fleece as a symbol of wealth, wisdom and technology.

Centuries ago invaders were attracted to Georgia because of its strategic location at the crossroads of East and West and North and South; because of its beautiful nature, strong, honest, clever men and beautiful women – in Iran people still talk of legends of their charm, while in India a pretty girl is called a “Georgian Fairy”. Conquerors came for our abundant natural resources of water, forest, rich agriculture. Today people visiting Georgia want to see and share the beauty and charm of the civilization we, all the peoples living in this country have built over centuries.

On August 8 2008 the Kremlin started to purposefully attack these fruits of our ancient and contemporary history. Up to 50 people have already died in these attacks, whole villages are being ruined and our fathers, husbands, sons and brothers are fiercely attacked by forces that originate from thousands of kilometers only because we have finally raised our voice and started to decisively set rule of law in the regions of our country that had been artificially cut off from its mother land by criminals and politicians for whom lives of ordinary people of any nationality are priced at nothing. Russian Empire came to the Caucasus only 300 hundred years ago and is now “trying” to play a guarantor between Georgians and Ossetians – two nations that have lived hand in hand over centuries. Our former kings have frequently married Ossetian princesses and the ancient language of the descendant of Alans is now virtually spoken only here, in the Caucasus whereas the tribes were and are still spread all across Europe and have, unfortunately, assimilated with local populations.

We are proud to nurture and make available to the world the exquisite Ossetian culture and language, and the European Council was first to hear words in this ancient language when the head of South Ossetian Administration addressed Europe in his native language when representing the Georgian region.

Meanwhile, people are dying… The “peacekeeping” thrive of the Russian troops have killed Ossetians, Georgians, Azeris just because they are citizens of Georgia.

However, the most painful of all the danger of smoke, fire and destruction hanging over our hands right now, in this very minute, much more hurting than the sight of pregnant women and children fleeing from their homes to remain refugees in their own country – something 500,000 Georgian men and women have experienced after ethnic cleansing in Abkhazia and South Ossetia for over 15 years –

most painful of all this is the dirt and slander the whole world is hearing these days from Russian information agencies. Shameless liars are accusing Georgian soldiers of killing innocent civilians, shooting wounded Russian “peace keepers” (by some magic trick the overall number of casualties in the Russian troops after such “massacre” still remains up to fifteen, a number Russian sources confirm themselves). As if those Georgian soldiers who are fighting for their own land did not have friends, wives, neighbors of Ossetian ethnicity waiting for them back home.

The regime (MIND YOU, WE STRONGLY DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE KREMLIN FROM ORDINARY RUSSIANS WHO ARE DECEIVED AND LIED TO) taking its roots in the Soviet KGB and Committees Extraordinary that helped Nazi officers in arranging concentration camps, who fed on innocent peoples' dramas in their own original death lagers, massacred and exiled hundreds of thousands, still killing own citizens all over the world with nuclear poisons, arranged the Beslan tragedy – this regime is trying to throw dirt on the people who have given shelter to thousands of Chechen refugees thrown out of their homes, who have nurtured the hope for peaceful resolution of conflicts in the Caucasus stemming from the policy of Divide et Impera for decades and remained patient when criminals and drug traffickers rooted in the criminal enclaves terrorized its civilians in the many peaceful villages where farmers still grow grapes and send cattle to graze on the fields mined with Russian weapons that bring millions of Russian Rubles to the shameless generals who send the innocent sons of Russian citizens to die in the fight against peoples defending their home.

Finally the World MUST know the truth. Today is the time when the real face of this bloody and shameless regime must be unveiled.

YOU MUST KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON before a Russian bomb may land on the house where these lines are written.

We are a people that loves to dance, sing and toast; whose hospitality is legendary and where the ancient tradition requires the host to respect and protect his guest even at the expense of his own life. Such are we, the people who are slandered of the atrocities in fact committed by forces who are aliens on this land. Today the Caucasus became home to another Finland of the 1940s, Afghanistan of the 1980s and Chechnya under the danger of annihilation.

AND IT IS TODAY WE NEED YOUR VOICES! YOUR SIMPLE, HUMAN SUPPORT AND SYMPATHY! WE DO NOT NEED YOUR ARMS OR MILITARY SUPPORT! WE JUST NEED YOU TO KNOW THE TRUTH: A EUROPEAN COUNTRY IS UNDER ATTACK. UNLESS THE AGGRESSION IS NOT STOPPED NOW, WHEN THE NEXT OLYMPICS – SYMBOL OF PEACE AND INTEGRITY – ARE HELD IN SOCHI, RUSSIA, YOUR COUNTRY MAY BE NEXT TO FOLLOW.

სულ მაინტერესებდა, რატომ იკვლევს ხალხი ასეთ რაღაცეებს. ვინმეს გაგაჩნიათ კომპეტენტური ან არაკომპეტენტური აზრი ამის შესახებ? აბა, დავიწყოთ:

თუ 8 წელი, 7 თვე და 6 დღე იყვირებთ, თქვენ მიერ წარმოებული ენერგია საკმარისი იქნება ერთი ფინჯანი ყავის გასაცხელებლად.
(არა მგონია, ამად ღირდეს.)

თუ 6 წლისა და 9 თვის განმავლობაში განუწყვეტლივ გამოუშვებთ გაზს, მისი ენერგია გაუტოლდება ატომური ბომბის ენერგიას.
(აი, ამას არა უშავს!)

ადამიანის გულის ცემის წნევა საკმარისია სისხლის ერთ კილომეტრზე გასასროლად.
(ღმერთო ჩემო!)

ღორს ორგაზმი ნახევარ საათს უგრძელდება.
(შემდეგ ცხოვრებაში მინდა ღორი ვიყო.)

ტარაკანს უთავოდ 9 დღე შეუძლია იცოცხლოს, სანამ შიმშილით არ მოკვდება.
(ფუ!) (არა, ღორი მაინც არ ამომდის თავიდან.)

კედელზე თავის რტყმისას საათში 150 კალორია იწვება.
(სახლში მაინც თავი შეიკავეთ...... ნუ, სამსახურში შეგიძლიათ ცადოთ.)

ნემსიყლაპია ვერ ამყარებს სქესობრივ კავშირს, თუ მამრს თავის სხეულზე "ადგას". მდედრი სექსს იწყებს მისთვის თავის წაწყვეტით!
("ჩემო სიცოცხლევ, მე მოვედი. რა....?!")

რწყილს შეუძლია საკუთარ სხეულზე 350-ჯერ მეტ მანძილზე გადახტომა. ეს იგივეა, რომ ადამიანი საფეხბურთო მოედნის სიგრძეზე დახტოდეს.
(ნახევარი საათი... ბედნიერი ღორი... წარმოგიდგენიათ??)

ლოქოს 27000-ზე მეტი გემოს შეგრძნება შეუძლია.
(ნეტავ, რა უნდა იყოს ასეთი გემრიელი მდინარის ფსკერზე?)

ზოგიერთი ლომი სქესობრივ კავშირს დღეში 50-ზე მეტჯერ ამყარებს.
(მე მაინც შემდეგ ცხოვრებაში ღორობა მინდა... ხარისხი ჯობია რაოდენობას)

პეპლები გემოს ფეხებით შეიგრძნობენ.
(აი, მთელი ცხოვრება ამის გაგებას ვნატრობდი)

ენა სხეულის ყველაზე ძლიერი კუნთია.
(ჰმმმმმმმმმმ........)

ცაციები საშუალოდ მემარჯვენეებზე ცხრა წლით ნაკლებს ცოცხლობენ.
(და თუ ორივე ხელს თანაბრად ხმარობ, სხვაობა შუაზე იყოფა?)

სპილო ერთადერთი ცხოველია, რომელსაც ხტუნვა არ შეუძლია.
(კიდევ კარგი....)

კატის შარდი სითბურ გამოსხივებაში მოხვედრისას ანათებსო.
(ღმერთო ჩემო, ვის უხდიან ფულს ამის შესწავლაში?)

სირაქლემას ტვინზე უფრო დიდი თვალი აქვს.
(ასეთ ადამიანებსაც ვიცნობ)

ზღვის ვარსკვლავს ტვინი არ აქვს.
(ასეთებსაც ვიცნობ)

თეთრი დათვები ცაციები არიან.
(მეორე ხელის გამოყენება რომ შეძლონ, მეტს იცოცხლებდნენ.)

ადამიანები და დელფინები ცხოველთა ერთადერთი სახეობაა, რომელსაც სექსი არა მხოლოდ გასამრავლებლად, სიამოვნებისთვისაც აქვთ.
(აბა, ღორიო??)

The farther you are
The sweeter you seem.
It is my dream in you
That I love,
Untouchable as ray of sun,
Unreachable as Eden.

And if you are not
The one I think,
I do not care now,
Let me believe.
My sick heart wants to see you
As a white angel of her dreams.

Let the heart melt in strange affection,
Let the sea be filled with my tears,
Only let me believe in my delirium
And the fiest of the feelings.

(Peak of arrogance: An awkward attempt to translate and verse Galaktion Tabidze - the poet of poets of Georgia)

TEARS SOLD OUT

"Words, words, words... can break bones", you say.

Words, getting soft and warm in palms,

As lumps of clay.

You must be proud

You can make them breathe.

(Dedicated to a very special person whose words change lives and whose words would make me wish to be dead if he had read mine!)

"What would you do with the baby?"
I stare at chopsticks in Tokyo that is in Tbilisi
Unwilling to share the answer that has been
Long clear to me...
I'd name him Alexander and he would be mine!

"You don't want what I want".
Sure, you can't want yourself.
I envy you so
For having the whole of self
Only for yourself.

Unaware again, he saves my soul
Failing to come on days
I'd burst out telling him all about you.
After hours of beating hysteria
Caused by a third one.

Too good to be true,
You refuse to see.
Yet I still believe
Feeling your hands on shoulders
And lips on wild cherry gloss.

My hobby? It is
To catch the moments,
Collection swelling
From month to month,
Refusing to stop.

And yet I was the winner
Making you say those words:
Te sakam,
In steam, water and love
Of one ordinary banja in old Tbilisi

Happiest seconds
Are the pictures
Of the city
Blinking from taxi window
In the dusky sky.

We two speak
Everyone around
Trying to catch
What these lonely souls
Have in common, or to share.

"Oh, the Moorish-looking girl," you say
Looking down on me as if I were
Really that girl from Yokohama Louvre.
It still burns my memory...
And legs...

Looking for what?
Fighting for what?
Don't know, help me, I'm tired.
Little passions are
What makes us live for the great one.

Better yet, I will love him tonight
Like I never loved you.
I made you feel as a king, didn't I?
He makes me feel as a queen...
...Who is waiting for her king.

I wonder if you'd be jealous
To hear of this black-eyed toy
I found two months ago.
You needn't. I lost him.
Something telling me - forever

Weather permitting for your and mine sake
Cold, brisk sky of Tbilisi
Rising on November twentyfifth.
Preparing for the major earthquake
I dress warm but sexy, is that right?

"This is the image of me,
When I hate the entire world",
You hand me your clear blue eyes.
I wonder: should I be happy
That I'm not one of them?

What a wonderful word is that!
"Divider". Of hearts? Of souls?
You have a nice mind, don't you?
Steaming vapours
Rising temperature
That I refused to measure.

Screaming in silence

Weeping in happinness

Smiling in disgust

Browsing the pages -

Remembrance of love we shared.

The willows forever enduring
Are none here, in Tokyo.
Or is it the wind that there's not -
That makes them bend -
Leaving them in tranquil serenity?..