Prosecutor’s Office addresses court with mediation of Kalandadze’s imprisonment

Interpresnews

The Prosecutor’s Office has publsihed a new incident against Bacho Akhalaia and Giorgi Kalandadze and addressed the court with the mediation of Kalandadze’s imprisonment.

The court has 24 hours for consideration of the mediation, Chief Prosecutor Archil Kbilashvili said at a briefing today.

As for the new incident, according to Archil Kbilashvili, the new incident is connected to the period when Bacho Akhalaia was the defense minister.

“On February 16, 2010 seventeen officers of Guardia refused to take part in physical trainings because they were drivers and had been on duty on the previous night. On February 18, 2012 between 2 and 3:00 am, based on that time Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia’s order those people were taken to the territory of Senaki Second brigade from Tbilisi. At the place, the soldiers were met by Bacho Akhalaia and Giorgi Kalandadze. They and some other people, identified by investigation, abused military officers of the Guard Department. After the abuse, Bachana Akhalaia ordered them to take off cloths and soldiers were running in the cold without cloths during one hour. Afterwards, the officers were locked in a bathroom by Akhalaia’s order. They were left there without any heating or food for two days and three nights. With this action Bachana Akhalaia illegally restricted soldiers’ freedom. Meanwhile, soldiers did not receive food during almost 36 hours and they were in unbearable cold all the time. There were no mattresses, duvets and chairs in the bathroom; so soldiers slept on the cold floor,” Kbilashvili said.

He added that Bachana Akhalaia committed crime envisaged by Article 143 of the Criminal Code of Georgia that is restriction of freedom that is punishable by imprisonment from 7 to 10 years. He is also accused of crime under Article 144 – torture punishable by imprisonment from 9 to 15 years.

“Aforementioned actions of Bachana Akhalaia breached Article 3 of the Convention on Human Rights and Basic Freedoms that prohibits torture and inhuman treatment,” Kbilashvili said.

As for Giorgi Kalandadze, chief prosecutor said Kalandadze committed crime punished by Article 333 of the Criminal Code of Georgia that is abuse of power and is punishable by imprisonment from 5 to 8 years.

“Because of committed crimes, new charges were imposed on Bachana Akhalaia yesterday as well as Giorgi Kalandadze. The committed crime is proved by testimonies of 19 victims and other witnesses. Solicitation on imposing imprisonment on Akhalaia and Kalandadze was already sent to the court,” Kbilashvili said.