Koba Otanadze’s Family Members Were Kidnapped

Irakli Managadze

Jimsher Otanadze, brother of Koba Otanadze, who is wanted because of the incident in Mukhrovani military base, was kidnapped together with his wife Gulo Daridze and his 19-year-old Giorgi Otanadze.Their location is still unknown.

Attorney Onise Mebonia reported to the Human Rights Center that Jimsher Otanadze was detained together with his wife Gulo Daridze and son Giorgi Otanadze. “We are still trying to find out their location but still cannot. Supposedly, they are kept in a room of the Special Operative Department and they are under psychological oppression. We would like to stress that Koba Otanadze was declared wanted on May 6; his brother Nugzar Otanadze was detained one week later on May 12; after that, one week passed and on May 19 the third brother was arrested. It is repression of the family of Koba Otanadze,” said Onise Mebonia.

The Public Defender’s Office was informed about the kidnapping of Otanadze and his family members by the relatives of the Otanadzes.

“In order to find out the location of the detainees the Public Defender’s Office got in touch with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, but they did not inform us about the location of the Otanadzes.”

The Public Defender of Georgia called upon the MIA to inform him about the location of the detainees in order to enable their attorneys to meet them,” said the spokesperson of the Public Defender’s Office.

After the uprising in the military base in Mukhrovani, Koba Otanadze was declared wanted as one of the organizers of the incident. MIA provided an award of 200 000 GEL for any person providing the Ministry information about his location. On May 12 the law enforcers arrested Nugzar Otanadze, the brother of Koba. He is accused of resisting the police. The City Court sent Nugzar Otanadze to two-month pre-trial detention.

The Human Rights Center calls upon the law enforcement bodies to provide the society and the Public Defender’s office with information about the detainees. The Center condemns the kidnapping of and violence against these people.