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Patrol Policemen Beat a Citizen

March 5, 2008
Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

Human Rights Center requests to start investigation against the patrol policemen of the Kakheti Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who physically assaulted a citizen. The centre has already appealed to the Kakheti Regional Prosecutor’s office regarding the incident.

The incident happened on February 24 2008 in Telavi. Patrol policemen reported that Tamaz Bochorishvili had stopped his car near the agriculture market in the area where parking is prohibited. “The citizen did not obey our request to remove the car. He got out of the car and started arguing with us. We asked him to calm down and to show documents to us. But he started scolding us and tried to assault us; we, both policemen, fell down. The person still continued to resist us and started to threaten us. Consequently we drew up a report on administrative crime and we arrested him,” said Mikheil Khanjaliashvili, patrol police inspector.

Tamaz Bochorishvili and his wife Lali Bochorishvili as well as eyewitnesses categorically deny the policemen’s accusations against them.
“At the noon I drove my wife to the Telavi market and stopped the car near the market. Soon patrol policemen approached me and demanded to drive along but I could not. The police car was standing in front of me and I could not drive the car. I explained to them the situation but they started to beat me,’ said Tamaz Bochorishvili.

Lali Bochorishvili stated that she had witnessed the incident personally when law enforcers dragged her husband out of the car.

“They were shouting at him for having resisted them. While being beaten my husband fell down as well as the law enforcers too. Other patrol policemen arrived on the place soon; put my husband into irons and took him to the police station,” recalled Lali Bochorishvili.

Eyewitnesses state the same. Eldar Kevkhishvili reported that policemen provoked Tamaz Bochorishvili and then arrested him.

Despite the testimonies of the witnesses Aleksandre Dekanoidze, the head of the Kakheti Patrol Police Department, stated that the detainee was not beaten.

Natela Jashiashvili, the judge at the Telavi District Court, discussed the report on administrative crime. The judge completely relied on the testimonies of the patrol policemen, Khanjaliashvili and Mamniashvili while making the decision. It is noteworthy that Tamaz Bochorishvili requested at the trial to interrogate eyewitnesses to keep impartiality; the witnesses were in the court room but the judge did not pay attention to his petition. Natela Jimshiashvili found Bochorishvili guilty and sentenced him to five-day administrative imprisonment.    

Media sources spread information about the incident on the same day; however the investigation has not started yet.

Non-governmental organization “Human Rights Center” got interested in the situation. “We have met the detainee, his wife and witnesses. We examined the report on administrative crime and other materials too. We consider that law enforcers abused their power; thus we appeal to the Kakheti Regional Prosecutor’s Office to launch investigation on the incident,” representatives of the Human Rights Center stated. 

If the patrol policemen are found guilty they are supposed to be deprived from their right to continue their activities.

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