Worked-over: Mamuka Kvaratskhelia - Did Political Views Gets Him Beaten?

Nona Suvariani, Tbilisi

Mamuka Kvaratskhelia, UEFA In spite of the fact that those who carried out the assault were demanding money, Mamuka Kvaratskhelia is almost certain sure that he was beaten for attending the May 26 demonstration.

Russian and foreign media outlets very actively echoed the fact of beating Kvaratskhelia. “Hit Squads Haunting Representatives of Georgian Opposition”, “A UEFA Media Officer Beaten Ruthlessly in Tbilisi”, “A UEFA Officer Beaten and Robbed in Tbilisi” – these are the headlines of Russian publications over Kvaratskhelia’s beating.

Mamuka Kvaratskhelia states that he had never been a member of an oppositional party but the current political situation, which affected football, the sphere where he works forced him to standup and “where his people stood”.

My friends are both in the government and the opposition. Saakashvili used to call me a friend before he became a president. I am not a politician. My profession is football.

I used to live and study in Denmark. However, when I saw the situation in Georgian football, I returned to Georgia. I established the Football Federation in 1990. I left the Federation in 1992 in protest over the corruption that existed within the organization. I returned to the Federation when Merab Zhordania, my friend became the head of the Football Federation. However, I still understood in 2004 that the situation was still chaotic. I thought the work should have been done differently, besides I was concerned with [protecting my reputation. When I found that Nodar Akhalkatsi would become the head of the Federation I left the Federation and Georgia and went back Denmark. When the Georgian national team came to Denmark to play with Danish national team I understood that Georgian football was still in a very difficult conditions. I decided to return to Georgia and try to improve this situation.  I decided to nominate myself for the position as the head of the Federation and called upon some of my friends who had the right to vote. They promised to vote for me. However, on the elections nobody voted for me. They all had been intimidated. I have been unemployed for 3 years now. Everyone is afraid to accept me as they try to avoid having problems with the Federation administration.

The protest demonstration on May 26 was not the first one for Mamuka Kvaratskhelia. He also participated in hunger strike back in March. However, Kvaratskhelia will never forget the May 26 demonstration as it was followed by him being assaulted.

This how Mamuka Kvaratskhelia, the UEFA media officer was declared by the Georgian government as persona non grata now recalls the incident:

“When the special units entered the parliament hall from Chitadze Street, I followed them and saw that I group of young men was throwing things at them. I tried to stop them by saying that the representatives of Special Units were Georgians as well. Apparently, the special units spotted me at that moment. I was also caught on film.

A boy who was trying to tear down a barrier was the first to be beaten. We hunger strikers stayed together in our efforts. When the incidents of beating protest demonstrators repeated the former hunger strikers called me and offered to gather as something terrible was going on in the country. We gathered and decided to hold a press conference to show our solidarity. The next morning I went to meet my friend in airport. He is SportExpress Journal journalist.”

Kvaratskhelia has right wheeled 12-year-old Jeep Mitsubishi Pajero. Kvaratskhelia notes that only a few people have this kind of car in Tbilisi. It is not very expensive and not that valuable. Kvaratskhelia was driving with this car in the airport.

Mamuka Kvaratskhelia recalls the actual assault:

“On having turn on George W. Bush Highway from Ketevan Tsamebuli Street, hardly had I come to the traffic light when a black big car stopped in very close proximity to my car. I thought the driver was drunk and would hit me, I decided to move car aside and looked right to check that I would not hit the street edging. Meanwhile, I saw 3 or 4 men in masks getting out of the car. They were shouting something and within a moment they threw me in the car in a few seconds. They put hat on my head so I could not see anything. They tied my hands with scotch tape and started beating in my back. They were shouting “money, money”. I said that I had no money, as I had not worked for 3 years. They were trying to cover the political assault with just a simple robbery. Then they took me to the forest and beat me ruthlessly. They did not hit me in the face of stomach. The beating lasted for half an hour of 45 minutes. They were real pros as they know human anatomy very well. They were beating in the spots that hunt so much even I was thrown into the car after the beaten, and they even continued to beat me in the car. They were beating me there as well. They left me in Vahslijvari Forest alongside the road. I was so beaten that I lost conscious.  Someone found me and without their help I would not have been able to find the road on my own.”

The assaulters took Kvaratskhelia’s car away. “They have my mobile card as well. Someone has been calling my brother from my telephone number for 4 days and telling that my car is in Tskhinvali. They say we can go to Tskhinvali, (breakaway region of South Ossetia), and bring the car back; they know very well that we will not go there.”

The investigation on Kvaratskhelias’ assault has been launched but the victim himself does not believe that the assaulters will ever be found.