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Bakradze’s Pre-Election Campaign in Batumi Finished with Detention of Three People

October 18, 2013
 
Maka Malakmadze, Adjara

“Presidential candidate of the United National Movement Davit Bakradze addressed the Batumi residents from the stage installed nearby the UNM's office in Batumi. Before the meeting, law enforcement officers arrested three former political prisoners in the area. Merab Gorgadze, Jemal Duadze and Jimsher Kurtskhalidze were detained when they tried to approach Bakradze and ask question. 

Merab Gorgadze, Jemal Duadze and Jimsher Kurtskhalidze were against organizing Bakradze’s pre-election meeting in Batumi. “Bakradze does not have moral right to arrive here in Batumi, meet citizens and give them promises. After the cruelty of the National Movement against prisoners, they cannot hold pre-election campaign and give promises to people,” one of them said. The former political prisoners tried to approach the presidential candidate and ask him question, but patrol police officers did not allow it; after that, they verbally insulted Davit Bakradze. Law enforcement officers arrested all of them. Davit Bakradze and the head of UNM’s Batumi office, Giorgi Kirtadze, made a statement regarding the incident. 

“I have never refrained from talking to anybody. I am always ready to listen to any person, who wants to share his problems and injustice with me, but it should be done in normal manner. A person cannot ask question scolding and jumping over the police officers,” Davit Bakradze said.

Giorgi Kirtadze said that the detainees are zonders, whom the government uses against the National Movement. “It is natural that those people were detained. They were criminals and should sit in prison. They are ordinary zonders, whom one part of the government uses against the National Movement.”

Batumi City Court imposed 100 lari fine on each of the tree detainees for administrative violation and minor hooliganism. Detainee Jemal Duadze said they are innocent. “We do not plead guilty. The Constitution of Georgia guarantees our free movement. We came to the meeting to ask Davit Bakradze questions – whether he takes responsibility for the nine-year-long injustice, but they did not allow us to ask this question.” 

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