Web Portal on Human Rights in Georgia

The criminal case launched on the 8th July 2006, on planting a bullet in the handbag of a journalist Marina Gogoladze’ might be dropped for lack of evidences in the case. The journalist relates the fact with the deputy head of Lagodekhi Police Department Gia Lomidze. It must be pointed out that the journalist is being threatened by murdering.

Judge Nona Maisuradze has released 20-year-old David Badzgaradze from prison after 9 months of illegal detention. He was accused of robbing citizen Sopio Zurabashvili. Although there was not enough evidence for his arrest, he was imprisoned on the demand of Isani-Samgori district Prosecutor Nino Tsikhiseli.

On the 27th of August at 6.00 p.m., Shida Kartli regional policemen wounded 25-year-old Mirza Besiashvili during a special operation in the village of Zerti, in the Gori district. At the time of the incident the man’s family was also at home. About 30 masked policemen entered the Besiashvilis’ family home, guns blazing. According to police information, Mirza Besiashvili has been blamed for many crimes.

Mamuka Paniashvili, one of the candidates for Gori Mayors, was arrested on the 4th of September. Local police illegally tried to take him to a military service by force. After four hours of arrest and active involvement of media, it turned out that law enforcers were mistaken and Peniashvili was arrested illegally. After that, policemen were forced to free him.

Georgian NGOs protest against family violence and call the state to support the victims of violence. Their activation was connected with the arrest of 32 years old pregnant Natia Janelidze, who was the victim of family violence herself.

The nut season in the Gali region has begun, along with the expected frequent attacks and harassment of the peaceful Georgian people who live and work there. This week, Abkhazian Militia units have entered various villages in the area several times already.

Prisoners have discovered a new method of robbery: they are committing crime from their prison cells by means of mobile phones, forcing citizens to top up their credit on their mobile phones. The scam is as follows:

Lagodekhi Regional Court judge Nana Chalatashvili has sentenced Besik Zurabishvili, former head of the Border Guard Regional Department #6, to one-year’s imprisonment. The detainee’s lawyer, Nino Agabekova is about to appeal against the Regional Court’s verdict at the Appeal Court. Kakheti based NGOs call Zurabishvili’s detention a travesty.

“I only want to see a search warrant, nothing more,” 53-year-old detainee Tamaz Elbakidze told Financial Police officers, whom the Shida Kartli Financial Police Department accuses of transporting smuggled cigarettes. Zaza Ramishvili, the judge at the Gori Regional Court did not take the demands of the detainee and his lawyer, Tamar Tedliashviili, into consideration. The man was then sentenced to two-month preliminary detention, without seeing the reports on the search or his detention.

On the 3rd August at 4.00 a.m., law enforcers were looking for weapons and explosives in the family home of the Givradzes, in the village of Uchkho in the Khulo region. Special forces officers harmed the family during the search. The family members, terrified by the special operation, recall the details.