Police Beat Youngsters in Kobuleti

Police Beat Youngsters in Kobuleti

On 13th of June, in the centre of Kobuleti, regional police officers beat up youngsters and opened fire on them for no reason. The incident took place in the evening in the café-bar ‘Gio’. According to staff of the café, the head of the regional police, Davit Aronia and other police officers were having dinner in the restaurant. “Not far away from them, in the café several boys were laughing at something. The police thought that the boys were laughing at them and began to fight with them - then we heard shooting.”

People living next to café, noticed this incident - they speak about it but do not name themselves for their own safety. “It was terrible. The police beat the boys up, and then one boy ran away, but the police began shooting. The police have become more dangerous than criminals”, said one woman.

The victims refuse to talk about the incident. They said to the Human Rights information and Documentation Centre that they are afraid: “You can’t guarantee our safety. If the police officers are released, they will not leave us in peace. So we are not going to give any testimony against them.”

The head of Kobuleti regional police Davit Aronia says that he was in café ‘Gio’ that night but categorically denies opening fire on the boys. “There was no incident at all, we were celebrating our colleague’s wedding that evening and then we went home.”

The case was not officially registered. The names of the victims were not even recorded in the regional hospital. According to representatives of the hospital, one boy was taken there by his friends. “We treated him, however he refused to stay in hospital”, said the doctor, who was on duty that night.
 

Maka Malakmadze from Batumi