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Military Service Officer at Gori Brigade about Soldiers’ Punishment Methods

October 25, 2012

Military service officer of the Gori Brigade # 5 spoke about general situation and soldiers’ punishment methods in the brigade with Guria News. He said these methods led soldier of the 51st battalion Koba Makharashvili to the condition of suicide.

Military service officer, with invented name Giorgi, said that punishment and torture was used against soldiers serving their obligatory military service in the brigade and it was agreed with the brigade commander, Vice-Colonel Khurtsidze.

“Some methods of soldiers were used in the fifth brigade. It was so-called traditional methods – beating and verbal insulting of the “guilty” soldier. There were some original methods too which were used only in our brigade. Sergeants made punished soldiers to take huge stone in hands and run around the unit marching towards kitchen with this stone in hands. Soldiers were also made to take off clothes above waists, lye on cobbles and imitate swimming on them with their neck down. Very often soldiers were compelled to reach kitchen on their knees. They were ruthlessly beaten. Very often soldiers could not endure torture. I remember two occasions when soldiers could not endure beating and torture and jumped off the windows to kill themselves. Luckily they survived,” the service officer said.

He added that he believes the story about Makharashvili’s suicide because several soldiers have already tried to commit suicide in the brigade # 5.

Trial on the death case of the soldier Koba Makharashvili in the 51st battalion of the Gori 5th brigade is going on boisterously in Gori district court. Sergeant Tengiz Gelashvili is accused of leading the soldier to the condition of suicide. His relatives allege Gelashvili was innocent. Neither the dead soldier’s family agrees with the formulation of accusation. Makharashvili’s mother does not believe her son committed suicide. She claims Koba Makharashvili was tortured and then killed.

Interpresnews

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