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Vengeance on Political Grounds

June 1, 2007

policeb.gif“The police officer locked the door, made a circle around me and beat me and kicked me like a fascist,” said Samvel Saponjian, a resident of the Akhalkalaki District. He claims that it was political vengeance and demands that the police officer be punished for the accident, which happened three years ago.

“I appealed several times, yet I could not find justice. I could not prove my side of the story,” said Saponjian.

On August 17, 2004, police officers severely beat Saponjian when he arrived at the Internal Ministry’s Akhalkalaki District Police Department.

“I was ordered to come to the police station and I obeyed. They told me that I was blamed for having insulted police officers S. Tatriani, R. Melotian, G. Gevorkian and G. Oganesian on August 13 when they were raiding the town. They led me to the room, locked the room, and beat me like a fascist would beat hostages. I tried to stand up in vain. They kicked me and shouted at me-“Support us!” Then they placed me in the cell, where I spent five days. I demanded a lawyer and doctor, but they did not allow me to see any of the. They created some fraudulent accusations against me, blamed for hooliganism and detained me, the honest man,” said Saponjian.

At that time, Mkhitar Abajian worked as the head of the Akhalkalaki District Police Station. Saponjian blames Abajian and the other police officers for his detention and states that the head of the head of the Police Office ordered him detained. Saponjian stated that it happened on political grounds.

“I was active participant in the Rose Revolution and always stated the truth. Therefore, Mkhitar Abajian never liked me and called me a traitor,” said Saponjian.

According to the victim, the criminals were not punished but some of them maintained their positions. And moreover, several of them were promoted.

“I applied to the Prosecutor’s Office several times to dismiss those people who had beaten me so severely. What kind of right did they have to beat me. They have established a dictatorship. They have stopped the investigation of my case. Those four police officers go on working in their positions, and Mkhitar Abajian was posted to the embassy in Yerevan. Is it fair?” asked Saponjian.

Samvel Saponjian petitioned the Georgian President, too, in which he retold his story and urged action.

On April 21, 2005, R. Zhgenti, the head of the Prosecutor-General’s Department, sent notification to D. Narimanishvili, the Regional Prosecutor of the Samtskhe-Javakheti Prosecutor, regarding the situation. According to the notification, the resolution on dropping the investigation into Saponjian’s case must be cancelled, and the criminal police officers must be charged under the law.

Officials from the Samtkhe-Javakheti Regional Prosecutor’s Office stated that an investigation is underway.

“The case was sent to the Main Police Department of the Internal Ministry for further discussion. A decision will be made after the final conclusion [of the investigation]. As soon as somebody is guilty, they must be detained,” said Davit Narimanishvili, the Regional Prosecutor.    

Samvel Saponjian says that nothing has changed after three years. He is still looking for justice.

Gulo Kokhodze, Akhalkalaki-Akhaltsikhe

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