Head of II Police Department of Adjara Threatened Journalist of Human Rights Center with Arrest

The head of the II Police Department of Adjara Emzar Surmanidze threatened the Human Rights Center regional coordinator in Adjara and journalist of humanrights.ge Maka Malakmadze with arrest.

Surmanidze was irritated by the question of Human Rights Center. The question concerned him personally and the investigation conducted by his police department. The journalist asked him question about concrete criminal case. Particularly, the talk concerned the criminal case filed against Zaza Mzhavanadze under the charges of illegal keeping of gun and explosives.

As the brother of defendant Vazha Mzhavanadze stated to Human Rights Center, the detective-investigator of this case Emzar Surmanidze extorted 4 square meter wood material from him and there also were other facts of violations.

“While interacting with the investigator I had an impression that I was talking to robbers and bandits. When I entered the cabinet of the investigator Emzar Surmanidze, he pulled out the sunglasses from the pocket of my shirt and stated that I could buy this any time and now it was his gift. During other meetings, at dinner time he would say that he is hungry. Three times he made us invite him to the restaurant. When we came to the Kobuleti court, he made us pay for ten liter oil for his car. This is corruption and bribery,” – stated Vazha Mzhavanadze.

Maka Malakmadze, coordinator of Human Rights Center, journalist: “On September 12th at 17:00 pm I met Emzar Surmanidze in the II police department of main agency of Adjara. He has been a detective-investigator of Kobuleti police in the past. I needed his comment regarding the facts expressed by our respondent Vazha Mzhavanadze in the Center. However, after Surmanidze found out what we were there for, he stated that he does not want to talk to me and recalled meeting with the elder citizen as an excuse. Then he left his cabinet and I was also forced to do so. In the hall and entrances of police building he yelled: “You are a provocateur and I am going to arrest you for that. You are committing crime. I have investigated many crimes. If you are being an investigator now, I want to tell you goodbye. You are young and somebody is deceiving you. What questions shall I answer? Who are you? You are a provocateur and I will arrest you for that. We will meet again somewhere!”

Then the head of Adjara main police agency Emzar Surmanidze sat in his car and left. He also showed interest in the background of Maka Malakmadze.

Human Rights Center’s internet-magazine humanrights.ge will soon publish article regarding the case of Vazha Mzhavanadze.