A Chronicle of Violence Before and After April 9

Kartlos Sharashenidze

Despite the great desire and attempt of the government of Georgia to reduce the number of incidents during the rally to minimum it became impossible to do so. Opposition parties report almost every night that activists are detained or beaten. The number of people who have been beaten and wounded before and after rallies has already reached alarming number.

Before April 9

“April 9, 2009 was a very important date for the democracy of our country,” stated President Mikheil Saakashvili about the rally on April 9.

Activists of various political parties were detained on political grounds at the end of March, before April 9. The most famous and large scale detention is the case of the detention of the members of the Democratic Movement for a United Georgia. Secret video recordings of the Ministry of Interior informed the society about the organized group which was purchasing weapons. The detainees were talking about the overthrow of the government and organizing terrorist acts.

Tbilisi City Court held for two months of pre-trial detention ten members of the Democratic Movement for a United Georgia, the political party of the former chairperson of the parliament. They are blamed for illegal purchase of weapons. All national TV stations broadcasted the secret video recordings in which the detainees spoke about the overthrow of the government. On March 23 Malkhaz Gvelukashvili and Lasha Chkhenkeli, members of the Public Movement for a United Georgia, also were detained.

People were detained in the regions of Georgia on political grounds as well. On April 8 a representative of Irakli Alasania’s political party was arrested for having insulted law officers and for minor hooliganism. Tamaz Makashvili, head of the Gori office of the Republic Party, was sent to jail for 10 days by the Gori District Court. He said: “I am a member of Irakli Alasania. I was detained because of my political activities. My rights as a citizen of Georgia are breached.” Ketevab Bebiashvili,head of the Gori office of the Young Lawyers Association said: “The court did not investigate the case; the witnesses who are mentioned in the detention protocol of the policemen were not interrogated; the court did not study the evidence and the circumstances in the explanations of the policeman were completely different from those of the detainee,”

On April 8 a Zugidi patrol policemen destroyed the newspapers of the political party “Alliance for Georgia”. On the same day people in civilian clothes, who were sitting in a black car with the state number SDS 591, beat some activists.

On April 9 the central highways in the regions of Georgia were blocked. Central highways from Kakheti region, Gori district and Samegrelo region were blocked. Demonstrators could not travel to Tbilisi.

After April 9

On April 10 transportation also became difficult within the capital. Policemen were checking mini-buses in the streets of Tbilisi. According to reliable information the police, without any explanations, were stopping the mini-buses near the Avlabari underground station and Kashueti Church and were checking the passengers.

On the same day, late at night, activists of the opposition parties were attacked. Such attacks still continue. Members of the public movement “Why?” had their car damaged by masked people. There were three members of the public movement in the car. Irakli Kordzaria, founder of the public movement “Why?” said: “Some activists were going home from the rally. On Baratashvili Rise they were stopped by patrol police who demanded documents. After that, three jeeps chased the activists to where masked people were sitting. The masked people smashed the front window of the car of activists.”

The next attack was organized against the members of the public movement “November 7”. Irakli Khukhuneishvili, Lasha Kopaliani, Otar Chelidze, Natia Archvadze and Elene Baramidze were attacked. Said Tsaguria: “They were going home after the demonstration when masked people in black clothes blocked their road with three jeeps. The harassers physically assaulted the demonstrators with truncheons and electric shocks.” Later it was reported that two of the cars were Toyota Land-cruisers and the third one was a BMW “X 5”. The victims reported the incident in writing to the Public Defender’s Office.  It is reported that these cars were noticed in several places in the city on April 10.

April 11

The most serious vandalism occurred at about 12:00 am on April 11. Strangers destroyed the stage and its apparatus installed close to the parliament building. The vandals were wearing uniforms of street-cleaners. This fact became a basis for disagreement. The Ministry of Interior stated that the incident was not provoked by them. Lasha Chkhartishvili, a member of the Conservative Party, stated that at night during the dispersal Davit Kodua, the brother of Erekle Kodua, head of Special Operative Department, was standing nearby. During the destruction the demonstration was not going on and only several people were in front of the parliament. Three of them were injured.

Almost every opposition leader was in front of the parliament building. They have not yet commented on the incident.

April 12

Activists of the public movement “Why?” were attacked again close to their office. They were going to their office when people who arrived at the place in two cars attacked them. About four people were sitting in each car. The attackers were not in masks and the activists of the movement recognized 24-year-old Otar Davitashvili and deputy minister of environment, Davit Ioseliani.

In the evening, demonstrators and activists were beaten and threatened again. One was beaten near the Hotel “Sakartvelo” and two in Hero Square. Shmagi Gelbakhiani, a member of the youth office of the Alliance for Georgia, was beaten.
Mikheil Demetrashvili, a member of the Alliance for Georgia, who witnessed the attack, reported that when they were going to the parliament building from the Public Broadcasting some young people stayed back and one of them, Shmagi Gelbakhiani, was attacked. He was hit with a truncheon and he was badly injured.

April 13

During the day, behind the Kashueti Church, 70-year-old Karlo Didebulidze was physically assaulted in Aleksandre Park.  He is a supporter of the opposition. His eyes were badly injured. . The incident happened several minutes before the demonstration. The doctors provided him with first aid medical assistance and then he was taken to the clinic by ambulance.

Late at night, according to Dachi Tsaguria, two young men were wounded in front of the parliament building. Provocateurs, agents from the Ministry of Interior, came to the parliament and wounded two activists. Tsaguria stated that the two people who were wounded, Giorgi Oniani and Mamuka Girgvliani, were members of the youth branch of “April 9”. The Ministry of Interior circulated a video recording of the incident and is investigating it. Later, it was reported that the incident happened between the activists of Alasania and Nino Burjanadze’s parties.

April 14

People were beaten on April 14 also. Three members of the “People’s Party”, political party “Tavisufleba” and “Alliance for Georgia” were beaten. As a result Gizo Sartania, Hamlet Gulordava and Malkhaz Charkviani are in the Tbilisi Central Hospital. Ambulance picked them up clse to the President’s residence. Gizo Sartania stated that, close to the Avlabari underground station, when they were sitting in the car to go to Rustaveli Avenue people, sitting in three cars attacked them and beat them ruthlessly. Gizo Sartanis said: “They were hitting us in the head and then they pushed us down to the ground and started kicking us.”  Hamlet Gulordava said the attackers were armed and were officers of the Ministry of Interior. Gulordava said that he can recognize all of them.

Businessman Vakhtang Laghidze, director-general of the Coca-Cola Bottlers of Georgia, was beaten and then his car was seized from. Maka Tavamaishvili, wife of Laghidze, reported that on April 14, at 6:00 pm her husband was coming back from the protest demonstration and nearly 12 people followed him in 6 cars. When he approached his house in Chavchavadze Avenue he was beaten severely and then the harassers took his car.

Laghidze is being given medical treatment in the central hospital. A criminal case has been inititated regarding the incident. The investigation is under way.

On April 14, the singer Zurab Manjavidze was beaten. The incident happened near Public School N 1 in Lesia Ukrainka Street. The singer reported that he was going home from the demonstration with his two brothers when ten people in a “Golf” car with state numbers WNX 937 or WNX 927 and a BMW attacked them and tried to open the door of their car.

“Human Rights Center” is concerned regarding physical assaults and assesses the use of violence against activists as a violation of freedom of expression. “Human Rights Center” condemns the violation of fundamental human rights acknowledged by all international declarations and normative acts. The Center calls upon the international organizations and diplomatic corps to properly assess the facts of violence.