Arrested Election Observer for “Not” Accepting Deal

Nona Suvariani, Tbilisi

Sabir Mekhtiev, an observer from the General-Civil Movement “Multinational Georgia”, who was an active observer during the Presidential Elections in 2008, was arrested. It appears that he was not willing to accept the deal of Aflatun Valiev, representative of the Sadakhlo Administrative-Territorial Unit Board.

On April 18 Aflatun Valiev called Sabir Mekhtiev and offered to stop his active support for public activities and instead to start working in favor of his interests. Aflatun Valiev also promised the detainee to cancel Mekhtiev’s debt of 4,000 GEL in ProCredit Bank. Agit Mirzoev, executive director of the Multinational Georgia, states that during the presidential elections Mekhtiev observed a lot of election violations; he also witnessed the chairperson of the Election Commission ballot box stuffing. Naturally, it would appear that because of his activities the local administration some wanted to get rid of him.”

The reason for his detention was the debt Sabir Mekhtiev took from ProCredit Bank four years ago for the medical treatment of his four-year-old child.  However, after the death of the child, he could not afford or was unwilling to pay off the debt. It is strange that the ProCredit Bank decided to arrest Mekhtiev for the loan he had taken four years ago, and just before the elections. Finally, the reason given for Mekhtiev’s detention was that he put up resistance to the representatives of the court in exercising an order. These people arrived at his place on April 18, together with bank employees; they were nearly 25 in all. The aim of their visit was to confiscate property from his house in order to cover the loan. Pakhrat Musaev, the lawyer of the detainee, said that Mekhtiev refused to give them anything because everything belonged to his mother. 

Five days later Sabit Mekhtiev was called at the police station and he was accused of armed resistance. Rusudan Mchedlishvili, the lawyer for the non-governmental organization “Article 42 of the Constitution”, said that according to the law enforcers Sabit Mekhtaev was charged for his “intention to go to the kitchen to get knife from there.” In this case, it is obscure why he was not arrested on the day of incident but five days later.

“This person became a victim of a law enforcers’ provocation. They just wanted to arrest him and it became grounds for his detention. However, there was no legal basis to detain him because if he really resisted the executors, they should have arrested him immediately. Thus, the reaction should have happened on April 18” and not five days later.”

Sabir Mekhtiev is charged under the Article 353, Paragraph I of the Criminal Code (resistance, threaten or violence against the defender of public order or some other governmental official).

“Multinational Georgia categorically protests the detention of the election observer and activities of the law enforcers. The organizations now appeals to the public defender, Georgian society and international community for assistance.

The organization actively monitors the pre-election campaign throughout Georgia and has nearly 500 observers. According to the organization, it is not the only case of control. On April 28 the roof of Karina Bersgian’s office, who is a candidate from the United Opposition, was set on fire. Several cases are observed in Kvemo Kartli when school directors and public officials are threatened and further suppressed. They have observed other violations too such as incorrect election lists, abuse of power by election administration members, faking the vote count, attempted blackmail and attracting the people to vote with the distributing of products and vouchers from state budget, which is joined with  statements in favor of the candidates from the leading party in Georgia.