Incident Near the Main Tbilisi Police Department

Photo - InterPressNews

Policemen dispersed the young people gathered in front of the Main Tbilisi Police Department. Tens of young activists of the youth movement were wounded; many more demonstrators were severely beaten; and media representatives also were injured.

Representatives of various youth organizations took part in q demonstration in front of the Police Department. They protested the detention of people who took part in the incident near the parliament building on June 12. The young activists requested the release of their friends and the resignation of the president.

Two hours later law enforcement officers dispersed the demonstrators.

“Nearly 200 policemen left the pre-trial detention area of the Police Department and beat us severely,” said Beno Gegechkori, a demonstrator. “I cannot tell how ruthlessly they were beating us with truncheons. I have never before seen such truncheons with sharp ends. Many people were arrested and many more people were beaten. The policemen did not let those people run who tried to escape them and followed them into the residential buildings in the neighborhood. I cannot tell you who were arrested but I think about 30 people were detained. As soon as the police started dispersing people everybody tried to escape and there was terrible chaos; so I cannot tell who were detained.”

As a result of the incident journalists and politicians also were arrested alongside the activists of the youth organizations. TV Companies “Maestro” and “Kavkasia” ceased broadcasting in protest of having their correspondents beaten.

Zurab Abashidze, a member of Irakli Alasania’s political party “Alliance for Georgia”, also was beaten. Vako Avaliani, spokesperson of the political party, reported that Abashidze was ruthlessly beaten and was put in Ghudushauri hospital.

Leaders of opposition parties immediately went to the Main Tbilisi Police Department when they learned about the incident and condemned the violence. Zviad Dzidziguri, leader of the Conservative Party, assessed the incident as horrific. “Here policemen were not protecting their territory. The policemen left the yard themselves. The young activists did not try to enter the yardat all and their protest was peaceful. The law enforcers beat everybody who was near the police department--among them was Zurab Abashidze, a member of the “Alliance.” According to my information he had his teeth broken because he was ruthlessly beaten in the face.  The government cannot resolve the current political crisis peacefully and tries to do it by force,” said Zviad Dzidziguri in his conversation with the Human Rights Center.

The only information circulated is that Dachi Tsaguria, one of the leaders of the youth movement “April 9”, was arrested together with other people. Irakli Kordzaia, leader of the Movement “Why” reported to the Center that “I definitely know that Dachi Tsaguria was arrested but I cannot say anything about other detainees. I was seriously beaten and could not see who was arrested. However, I can confirm that the number of detainees is high.”

The center could not find out the exact number of detainees by the official statement of the MIA. According to the statement “demonstrators were detained and taken to the pre-trial detention setting”.

Nevertheless, the Ministry clarified the incident in the official statement of the MIA as follows. “Representatives of the opposition parties blocked the main entrance to the Main Police Department within the MIA and blocked the street. Policemen tried to free the entrance and the street but the demonstrators did not obey the law enforcement officers and resisted them.”

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• Demonstration At The Police Department Was Dispersed
• Journalists Were Injured During the Dispersal Near the Tbilisi Police Department