Publisher of Ai Ia Zurab Khutsishvili Arrested

On July 21, 2011 Special Operative Department arrested publisher and owner of the Ai Ia Zurab Khutsishvili in his office in Kostava Street, Tbilisi. At about 11:30 am the SOD officers dragged him out of the taxi, put him on the ground and planted Heroine after having put irons on his hands. He is charged under Article 260 Part II of the Criminal Code of Georgia which envisages imprisonment from 7 to 14 years.

On July 23, the Tbilisi City Court sentenced Zurab Khutsishvili to 45-day pretrial detention.

The next trial is scheduled for September 5.

It is noteworthy that 10 days before, on July 11, at about 00:35 am, in Borjomi the local police officers detained Zurab Khutsishvili and Merab Maghlakelidze because of “loud speech” in Maghlakelidze’s car (the police officers explained the detention). The court charged them under Article 166 and 179 and imposed administrative fine of 400 GEL on them.

“Ai Ia appeals to Georgian and international media organizations, Reporters Without Borders, international human rights organizations, western diplomatic institutions, governments and political parties of democratic states, to address to the fact and actively support in the release of innocent Zurab Khutsishvili.

Zurab Khutsishvili

He was born on January 23, 1964. In 1980 he graduated Akhaltsikhe secondary school and in 1984-89 he studied at History Faculty of the Tbilisi Ivane Javakhishvili State University.

Since 1988 he was member of the national-independence movement. He was chair of the Meskhet-Javakheti office of the St. Ilia Society; in 1990 he was Meskhet-Javakheti regional speaker of the election block Round Table – Free Georgia; in 1992 he was political prisoner during 9 months; since 2004 he was head of public relation department of the Party of Future. Since March 14 of 2011, he has been publishing printed and online edition Ai Ia together with the German News Agency Getmanpictures; he was official representative of the Getmanpictures in Georgia.

Ia Ia – educational printed and online edition

It was founded on April 14 of 2011. The printed version has been issued since April 9, 2011 once in two weeks. 6 issues have been published so far. Online edition “Ai Ia” www.ai-ia.info has been working since March 31, 2011.

The “Ai Ia” offers its readers very interesting and useful information from western and eastern, northern or southern cultures and traditions.

Editorial board of Ai-Ia
News Agency Getmanpictures
25.07.2011

Zurab Khutsishvili’s lawyer Papuna Sandukhadze said after the court hearing Zurab Khutsishvili  was taken to Tbilisi Prison # 8. There, he was placed in an isolated cell without bed, so Zurab Khutsishvili’s health and life is in danger.

http://www.ai-ia.info/online-arqivi/16-dapatimrebulia-ai-ia-s-gamomcemeli-zurab-khutsishvili.htm