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“Lasha Chkhartishvili Is Punished Instead Being Thanked”

February 27, 2012

Aleksi Bezhanishvili

On February 25, opposition activist Lasha Chkhartishvili was arrested in Kikvidze garden, Tbilisi. He protested deforested plants and construction of police office in Kikvidze Garden during several days. On the same day, five more people were arrested in the same garden; they are Mikheil Meskhi, Giorgi Apkhaidze, Dato Patsatsia, Giorgi Paresishvili and Teimuraz Murvanidze, who protested detention of Lasha Chkhartishvili and requested his immediate release.

Lawyer and relatives of Lasha Chkhartishvili did not know his whereabouts for a long time. His lawyer Gela Nikolaishvili said the trial on administrative case must be held within 12 hours after detention. According to the general practice, the lawyer cannot meet the lawyer before the trial “So, I did not know which police station Chkhartishvili was taken to,” Nikolaishvili said.

Lasha Chkhartishvili protested deforestation of trees and construction of a new police office in Kikvidze Garden. Correspondent of the Interpresnews reported that Chkhartishvili jumped into one of the holes dug during the construction and hindered the workers to continue work. The police officers detained him at that moment.

Currently, Lasha Chkhartishvili is head of ecological sub-group of the Georgian Dream. Mikheil Meskhi, Davit Patsatsia, Giorgi Apkhaidze and Giorgi Paresashvili are members of the youth branch of the Georgian Dream. Teimuraz Murvanidze is international secretary of the political party “Salome Zurabishvili – Georgia’s Road.”

Georgian Dream and Salome Zurabishvili – Georgia’s Road protested the detention of their activists. Coalition “Georgian Dream” stated that according to the spread video, Lasha Chkhartishvili jumped into the hall and did not allow the workers to continue work. But he did not resist the police officers during detention. 

“We hold video-materials which prove that Teimuraz Murvanidze did not breach the law. We appeal to the Public Defender, diplomatic corps accredited in Georgia to respond to the illegal activities of the police officers,” the statement of the Georgia’s Road reads (see video).

The local inhabitants and representatives of various environmental organizations were in the Kikvidze Garden together with the detained activists. They could not resist the police officers, who assisted the workers to continue deforestation of trees and construction of basement of the police office in the garden.

On the same evening, Nana Daraselia, judge of Administrative Chamber at the Tbilisi City Court found Lasha Chkhartishvili guilty in the violation of the administrative law and imposed 400 GEL fine on him.

“This morning, they again detained me on political grounds; I cannot count the number of my detentions; I think it is tenth politically motivated judgment of the court against me,” Lasha Chkhartishvili said after the trial.

“Lasha Chkhartishvili was found guilty in the action for what he was to be appreciated. He protected the law, which prohibits construction activities in the reserved territory. Lasha was protecting this particular law but instead thanking to him, the police officers demanded him to stop his protest. He did not obey their illegal demand and relatively, he was punished for his refusal,” Gela Nikolaishvili said when commenting on the court judgment.

Correspondent of the Palitra.tv said that at the trial the patrol police officers said Chkhartishvili hindered the construction in the Kikvidze Garden and did not obey their legal request.

The police officers also clarified that Lasha Chkhartishvili and the people, who implemented construction activities on the place, called the law enforcement officers. The builder claimed Chkhartishvili hindered his activities and Chkhartishvili clarified the ongoing construction was illegal. The patrol police officers clarified that the construction manager showed them relevant document on the permission of construction; besides that, there was a notice on the surrounding area which stated that a police office was being constructed in the area.

Gela Nikolaishvili said the judge must not rely on similar document when passing the judgment. He thought the judge did not have any valid proofs to find Chkhartishvili guilty in the offence.

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