An Officer from the Constitutional Security Department of the MIA Beat A Man

Nana Pazhava, Zugdidi

Nika Pachkoria, a participant in the ongoing rally in Zugdidi witnessed how a young man was beaten by officers from the CSD within the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Pachkoria managed to record the incident secretly by video camera and sent the recording to Presa.ge

The video recording shows that the incident occurred near the regional office of the CSD in Zugdidi. A man in black clothes is beating a young man. Several seconds later the quarrel was renewed. The person is beating the man in head while the man tries to avoid the blows. . Three soldiers are seen in the video recording managing to calm down the rivals. The beaten person was left at the site of the incident and the other four escaped.

The author of the video does not doubt that the officer from the CSD was beating the person because he arrived at the place by a car of the CSD.

Nika Pachkoria: “The person beaten had had an argument with taxi-drivers. I think they refused to take him by taxi. Soon, a white car with the state number SIS 382 approached them and the man was pushed into the car. I was watching it from the cell and wondered where they were driving. The car stopped several meters away from the office of the CSD. They dragged the man out of the car and started to beat him. The person seemed to be a strong man and the law enforcement officers could not subdue him.”

Presa.Ge arrived at the office of the CSD to check the information. In the yard journalists saw the car mentioned by the witness. Despite the attempt, Pressa.Ge could not get a comment from Davit Dartsmelidze, the head of the CSD regional office. The guard prohibited the journalists from using a video camera in the office area.

Several minutes after Presa.Ge left the area, the officers from the CSD replaced the number plates of the car; SIS 382 was changed into IHI 316.

Participants in the protest rally watched how the law enforcement officers replaced the number plates. The demonstrators claim that only they feel the presence of CSD officers in the city.

Kakha Mikaia: “Physical assault, dispersal and murder are everyday activity of the MIA. The local authority in the Zugdidi district and law enforcement officers are in despair. The CSD officers are a criminal gang. They want to swallow Zugdidi and make it into a kingdom of Saakashvili. In that case Misha Saakashvili will be able to arrive with approval whenever he wants and will never hear alternative opinion. He will have a party here and return calm and relaxed to Tbilisi which seems to have failed to understand him as a president.”

Source: Presa.ge