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Attorney Requests to Place Vakhtang Maisaia In Isolated Cell

June 18, 2010
Aleksi Bezhanishvili

Attorney of Vakhtang Maisaia – military expert accused in espionage – Natia Korkotadze reported to the journalists at the press-conference on June 18 that her client has still been under physical and moral oppression. On June 6, Vakhtang Maisaia was beaten by his cell-mate Paladi Birkaia after what the military expert was blamed in the incident and he was placed in the punishment cell for ten days. Prison administration put Paladi Birkaia in the punishment cell only for three days.

Natia Korkotadze said that Paladi Birkaia was founder and one of the leaders of the youth branch of the National Movement. The attorney does not know how he turned up in the prison # 8 and in the cell of Maisaia. However, the attorney and her client doubt that Birkaia was placed with Maisaia for provocations. He was insulting Maisaia for a long time after what the military expert suggested him to be polite. In reply, Birkaia threw an ash-tray at Maisaia and beat him. Both prisoners wrote explanation letters and afterwards Bikraia was sent to punishment cell for three days and Maisaia for ten days.

On June 7, Natia Korkotadze met the head of the prison administration Tamaz Meladze and asked him to place Maisaia in the isolated cell.

“I asked why the military expert and professor Maisaia was insulted in the custody; in reply Meladze ironically said: “Is Vakhtang Maisaia professor?” I request the Minister of Penitentiary of Georgia Khatuna Kalmakhelidze to ensure placement of Vakhtang Maisaia in the isolation cell. He has the judgment of the city court in the cell which is Griffith Secret. We do not exclude that provocations will continue in future too,” said Natia Korkotadze.

According to the attorney, Vakhtang Maisaia was placed in the punishment cell for four times already and previous three cases were connected with provocations too.

A friend of the prisoner military expert Nodar Epremidze and Maisaia’s wife Elene Magrhadze also attended the press-conference. “Vakhtang Maisaia is well-educated person. The government needed to arrest him in order to cover up the performance - Mutiny in the military base of Mukhrovani. They wanted to show that the coup against the state was planned at a high level and similar famous scientists took part in it,” said Nodar Epremidze.

Vakhtang Maisaia was sentenced to 20-year-imprisonment by the Tbilisi City Court. The judgment was appealed at the Appeal Court. The trial was scheduled for June 10 but the judge in charge Dimitri Mchedilishvili was arrested for bribery (24saati.ge/index.php/category/news/justice/2010-06-01/7218). The trial was postponed for June 27.

The attorney doubts that the Appeal Court will not change the judgment of the City Court. However, afterwards, the family will be able to appeal the verdict of the Appeal Court at the European Court of Human Rights. Natia Korkotadze has almost prepared the documents to send to Strasbourg. She hopes the Strasbourg Court will finally put an end to illegal persecution of Vakhtang Maisaia.

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