Wikipedia Deletions -- What Merab Turava Does not Want You to Know...

...and dark spots that should have everyone's attention.

For the second time now, some sections of Merab Turava's entry have been deleted from his Wikipedia entry. These sections contain well-documented parts of his past that cast a less-than-good light on the current Deputy Minister of Justice who for many years was the President of the Constitutional Court of Georgia.

Post about Turava on Georgian social media. He's not a popular figure.

Why are these parts of the entry uncomfortable reading? They highlight key concerns about Turava's career: Deference to Executive Power: Under Turava's leadership, the Constitutional Court has been widely criticized for failing to act as a check on the Georgian Dream government, consistently issuing rulings that align with the ruling party's political preferences.

• Key Controversial Rulings:

  • State Inspectorate (2022): The Court sanctioned the abolition of the State Inspectorate’s Service, removing a critical independent safeguard.

  • Presidential Impeachment (2023): The Court ruled that President Salome Zourabichvili could be impeached; reports indicate Turava personally voted in favor of this decision.

  • "Foreign Influence" Law (2024): The Court rejected an appeal against the controversial "Law on Foreign Influence," despite condemnation from human rights bodies and the Venice Commission.

• Ethical Censure by ECHR: In a 2018 finding, the European Court of Human Rights criticized Turava for failing to "divulge relevant information" and effectively participate in proceedings regarding his 2006 dismissal appeal, noting that as a high-profile jurist, he "knew or should have known" his ethical and procedural obligations.

• Allegations of Corruption: Independent media (2020) documented property concessions in the upscale Tsavkisi suburb gifted to Turava's daughter by the municipality. Critics allege this was a quid pro quo for judgments favorable to the government. He had previously been fired over allegations of protecting corruption, back in 2006.

• International Sanctions: Turava has been sanctioned by Lithuania under its Magnitsky Amendments, a measure specifically targeting individuals implicated in "gross human rights violations."

The relevant passage is here in full.

The timing of the deletion on Wikipedia is remarkable. The scrubbing happened all on November 9, a Sunday night, when Merab Turava was on a Facebook rampage against his critics, belittling respected lawyers in ways that raised eyebrows. Remarkably, Turava received no support from any of his colleagues or friends, who likely also were bewildered at the undignified spectable.

Here a screenshot of one of his posts (two laughing faces, too) and of the deletions that took place that same night. The deletions are frantic and at the same time strangely lawyer-like: "Content has been removed due to the inclusion of false or misleading information"

Though the timing on a Sunday night coincides rather neatly, there is no direct proof that Turava himself undertook the deletions -- but this Wikipedia account shows no other activity than specifically these deletions, and was created on November 9, so its only purpose so far seems to have been to scrub information.

At any rate, this is the second time that burner accounts tried to delete information about Merab Turava. This deletion is inappropriate. All the information in the section seems to be sourced by Wikipedia standards.

If Merab Turava or his friends want to speak on his record, they should address the concerns directly, rather than trying to make them disappear. What we are observing right now fits a truly sordid pattern -- of trying to run away from a terrible track record that in the end simply cannot be deleted. The real damage of course is not to Wikipedia. It lies in what is done to the Georgian people.