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“Father Opposition Member” That’s why my son was arrested!

February 25, 2008
Maka Malakmadze, Batumi

Giorgi Artilakva, 19, has been in prison since March 13, 2007. On December 12, 2007 Artilakva was sentence by a Batumi City Court with a five-year sentence and fined for attempted theft. Tengiz Artilakva, Giorgi’s father considers that his son was arrested for his (father’s) political views.

“Giorgi was arrested because I was a member of Republican Party. I cannot prove it but I had been offered by the representatives of ruling party to become a member of their party. I can not name these people. I do not want to cause any problems”, says Tengiz Artilakva. He was threatened several times by phone: “I was called by strangers and advised to quit the opposition. The calls were placed from concealed numbers.”

Artilakva is a well-known activist of the opposition. He was injured several times during the various demonstrations. Tengiz Artilakva was among those people who posted Levan Gahechiladze’s   advertisements on Rustaveli Street, Batumi on the eve of presidential election of January 5, 2008. Consequently, Artilakva was injured and was placed in trauma department of Batumi Hospital # 1.

Tengiz Artilakva addressed Sozar Subari, Public Defender with a petition and asked for help in proving his son’s innocence. At present the case of Giorgi Artilakva is in Kutaisi Court of Appeals. On December 12, 2007 Jemal Kiknadze, judge of Batumi City Court charged Giorgi Artilakva with the imprisonment of five years and six months and a fine in the amount of 3,500 GEL. Artilakva’s lawyer appealed the court decision to the Kutaisi Court of Appeals.

Giorgi Artilakva studies in the Mechanical Faculty at the Batumi Navy Academy. The court charged him with the attempted theft. In particular, on March 13, 2007 at about one a.m. Artilakva came to the person whom the investigation was unable to find with a crow-bar in the poker club on 115 Chavchavadze Street, Batumi.   

Artilakva denies the accusations. Based on his testimony he arrived on the place, behind the shop “Bumerangi”, because of a call of nature. Several minutes later two policemen arrested him. “They searched me and told to pick up a metal thing from the ground. I obeyed them and picked up the thing and out it in the polyethylene bag they gave to me. Afterwards I realized that with that thing was a crowbar, the policemen charged me for opening the window of the poker club and trying to break into the building,” said Giorgi Artilakva in his testimony to the court.

The window of the poker club has the size of 32.5 X 32. 5 centimeters and is protected with bars inside.” Tamaz Suramanidze, former law enforcer who is blind now and Levan Khoferia and Genadi bezhanidze, acting patrol police officers have been interrogated as witnesses in the case. A strange man had called the patrol police and informed about the attempted robbery. The patrol policemen arrested Artilakva 10 meters away from the damaged window upon arriving on the scene of the alleged crime.

Ramin Papidze, lawyer for the detainee, stated that the court should have considered the circumstance that Artilakva was not going to break into the poker club illegally. The attorney considers that the court illegally found Artilakva guilty. “None of the witnesses could produce any evidences against my client. The victim also stated that it was impossible to get through the window because of size of it. Besides that victim Gela Shatirishvili admitted that the window had been damaged for a long time already.

Besides patrol police officers one former law enforcer Tamaz Turmanidze, who has lost his eye-sight is a witness in the case. He said in his testimony that while watching TV he heard a noise and somebody whispering and that drew his attention.  The lawyer said that the value of his testimony is doubtful and highly suspect.

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