Giorgi Amiranashvili- A Framed Political Prisoner

Shorena Kakabadze, Kutaisi

It has become common practice in our country to pursue and arrest citizens for their political views and without legal grounds. It does not come as a surprise to anyone any more when a group of people in masks enters a private house and twists hands behind their backs at 5 in the morning. Such standard procedures have been transformed into the chosen method of detaining suspects in Georgia for now and it is expected to continue into the future.

Giorgi Amiranashvili, head of political party Ertiani Sakartvelostvis (United Georgia) Kutaisi Office was detained in Kutaisi before the well known events of November, 2007. At dawn on October 25 the house of Giorgi Amiranashvili, Irakli Okruashvili’s (former Minister of Defense of Georgia) supporter was raided by the representatives of Constitutional Security Department. CSD officers wore masks. On having broken the windows and doors and entered the house CSD representatives then detained Amiranashvili under the charge of being a criminal that belonged to a world criminal organization. Amiranashvili has not been tried as of yet and he still sits in a pre trial detention isolator cell in Kutaisi Prison #2.

“The Georgian legislature has been severely infringed with the detention of Giorgi Amiranashvili. He was arrested by the CSD representatives without having any official document that would prove that Aminranashvili even considered as a suspect. The Amiranashvili case investigator considers that Amiranashvili had committed a crime back  February of 2007 by conversing on mobile phone with Kakha Tsanava, member of criminal world organization and a prisoner at Rustavi Prison # 1. Later the investigators found out that Amiranashvili was talking to Kakha Chogovadze and not with Kakha Tsanava. If Amiranashvili was so dangerous that a special operation was needed to detain him then why was he detained 9 months after the alleged mobile phone conversation, and not immediately in February of 2007 after the phone call,” asks Tengiz Aslanikashvili, Giorgi Amiranashvili’s attorney.

Those that know Amiranashvili consider that the real reason for his detention was Amiranashvili’s political views and the fact that there is no tolerance for oppositional in Georgia.

“Giorgi was detained at dawn in our house. People wearing masks broke into the house in 3-4 minutes. Our baby became very frightened and is still under stress till now. They dropped Giorgi on the floor. He was shouting: why do you want to plant weapon in my house? I was not allowed to witness the search of the house,” stated Nino Dashniani, Giorgi Amiranashvili’s associate.

It turns out that the weapon, which the law enforcers found in Amiranashvili’s house was planted by the law enforcers themselves. This is how Amiranashvili’s attorney comments on the fact: “Unfortunately we have a very effective mechanism of making “spare charge” – and that involves the planting of weapon and or drugs. This method is used when there is no real evidence proving the guilt of the person. The false evidences are planted by law enforcers during the so-called search. Moreover, official searches are not attended by neutral witnesses. Consequently, “bullet proof evidences” are easy to create.

The bill of indictment states that Amiranashvili is a member of the criminal underworld at an international level and he is actively involved in the implementation of the objectives of representatives of the criminal world. The bill of indictment also states that Amiranashvili takes part in criminal discussions, organizes the discussions, and is among the criminals that subordinates him and that he expresses publicly his support to the criminal world. In fact, the only evidence (phone call) the investigation has and which became the reason for Amiranashvili’s detention is baseless.

“How did the investigators find out that the voices on the phone belonged to Kakha Tsanava and Giorgi Amiranashvili or Kakha Chogovadze and Amiranashvili? The voice identification expertise has not been conducted. The mobile phone numbers presented by the investigation and the private number of Amiranashvili do not match. The charges against Amiranashvili are just the result of investigators’ and the fantasy of representatives of Prosecutor’s Office.
The Office of the Prosecutor General does not have any witnesses that would prove that Amiranashvili has any connection with any of the charges,” states Tengiz Aslanikashvili, Amiranashvili’s attorney. He appealed to the court and requested voice identification analysis. Regardless, the court did not satisfy the appeal.

The Kutaisi City Court will file final verdict in the nearest future. If the justice gives adequate evaluation to the case materials, Amiranashvili will be acquitted as he is only an illegally detained political prisoner. If not he will be charged with Article 223, Part I (membership of criminal world- then he faces a prison term ranging from 5 to 8 years), and he is also charged under Article 236 Part I (caring weapon – which provides for prison term upwards of 3 years).