Independent journalist, Jeffrey Silverman (Photo) has lived in Georgia since 1991. He has Georgian wife and has been working as a journalist in Georgia for many years already. On November 7 he was severely beaten. Neither journalist’s ID helped him to survive. He visited the Human Rights Center to tell his story.
“I witnessed how police was chasing people to beat…I saw the same situation in Rike too where innocent people expressed their protest. I observed many human rights violations; I saw how people were beaten without any reasons. Scared people were running up Wine Slope. Near the metro-station “Avlabari” I saw police beating a person lying on the ground. I showed them my ID and told them they did not have right to beat him.”
The American journalist said that those people were not policemen. “They were people in close relation with the National Movement-children from Patriot Camps aged 16-17 and full of aggression. They were young hooligans who were paid money and ordered to beat people with sticks.”
“They not only scattered and dispersed people but beat those who fell down.”
“Terrible aggression was coming towards journalists. I was personally beaten with truncheons when I wanted to help people. They were particularly aggressive during the incident in front of the TV Station “Imedi”. It was well-organized incident.”
“I personally saw a group of policemen near the Cathedral Church of St. Trinity who did not leave the area and tried to scare people.”
Jeffrey Silverman considers that Saakashvili has made serious mistakes in the field of human rights and the whole world has witnessed it.
“Human Rights Center,” Tbilisi
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