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Number of People Tortured by the MIA Has Increased

May 16, 2009

Kartlos Sharashenidze, Irakli Managadze

Period of torture and discrediting has returned in Georgia. “Government with Roses” was boasting that military coup will never happen in Georgia and nobody will ever be tortured in future. However, the myth has been destroyed - “super democratic” government has exposed its real face.

The number of torture cases and discrediting has become alarming. Torture and inhuman treatment of the three people, Melor Vachnadze, Giorgi Oniani and Revaz Revazishvili, detained for physical assault of the journalist Nika Avaliani, has exceeded all limits. The reaction of the people was adequate. Based on the request of the Patriarch of Georgia the detainees were released. After that, it was reported that soldiers who were arrested as a result of the uprising in the military unit were also tortured.

Soldiers Akaki Aptsiauri, Nikoloz Bibilashvili, Temur Melikidze, Sandro Veshaguri and Nugzar Otanadze were tortured during the detention.

Public Defender Sozar Subari:

-Many people, who were detained as a result of uprising in Mukhrovani military unit, did not agree the interview with us. Only five of them told us how severely they were tortured. All of them have serious injuries and sometimes it is very visible injuries. Those people are: Akaki Aptsiauri, Nikoloz Bibilashvili, Temur Melikidze, Sandro Veshaguri and Nugzar Otanadze. Nugzar Otanadze has most serious injuries. He told us his story in details. Masked people were beating him with rubber and plastic truncheons in the building of Special Operative Department for several hours. He was forced to blame his brother that he had given him some illegal orders; his brother is declared as wanted by the Ministry of Interior with the blame of organizing the uprising in the military unit. Akaki Aptsiauri has injuries on his face and back; he has several teeth broken. Aptsiauri was beaten during the detention (though he did not resist the law enforcers) and after he was taken to the Special Operative Department.

Nikoloz Bibilashvili was being interrogated and beaten almost all day long. He also has serious injuries. Temur Melikidze was also beaten for several hours.

-How Severely Are They Beaten?

-They are seriously beaten; some of them have serious injuries; they are visible even without expertise. It is absolutely incorrect to claim that Otanadze resisted the law enforcers during the detention. He has such injuries that it is obvious he was tortured during the interrogation. He has traces of truncheon on his back and he could not have been beaten during the detention so seriously.

Giorgi Chkheidze, deputy Public Defender of Georgia:

-You have personally met those people; and how grave are their health conditions?

-Health conditions of Otanadze are grave; he has injuries and bruises all over his body. He cannot move the right hand. Consequently, he made a testimony at our office and we sent recommendation to the Chief Prosecutor’s Office for further reactions.

-Did law enforcers refuse you to see the detainees?

-There was some misunderstanding at the detention setting N 8. The director of the isolator demanded the representatives of the Public Defender to provide additional documents to prove that they really represented our office; however, they did not have right to demand additional documents. It is violation of the law. We will appeal against it. Since our main goal was to see the detainees we obeyed their order and produced our documents.

Case on Otanadze

Case of Nugzar Otanadze is topic of separate discussion. He is brother of Koba Otanadze who is wanted because of uprising in the Mukhrovani Military Unit.

Several days ago, Attorney Giorgi Mebonia visited his client Nugzar Otanadze at the detention setting. The lawyer stated that the detainee is tortured; he has his limbs, face and back injured.

“According to the detainee, Nugzar Otanadze was arrested by the officers of the Special Operative Department and four people beat him in the office of the SOD. Those people were dressed in civil clothes and Otanadze can recognize all of them. The law enforcers demanded him to inform them about the location of his brother. However, since he did not know anything and could not help the investigation, the law enforcers beat him.,” said Mebonia.

Wife of Nugzar Otanadze recalled the details of the detention in her conversation with the Human Rights Center.

Natia Londaridze, wife of Nugzar Otanadze:

-How was your husband detained?

-It was 1:00 am when ten armed and masked people broke into our house and took my husband. He did not resist them. Now we have learned that he is beaten; the attorney said he is tortured. We are persecuted. They did not explain to us why my husband was arrested. The only reason is that he is brother of Koba Otanadze.

-Where did your husband work?

-At the army. But he has been unemployed for six months. He never occupied any high position in the army. He was ordinary soldier.

-Are family members persecuted?

-Yes we are. We are chased and watched all the time. The elder brother of Nugzar Otanadze is also oppressed. Of course it is persecution.

Jimsher Otanadze, the third brother, blames the police for oppressing and watching his family members and relatives.

Jimsher Otanadze said that before the uprising in the military unit his brother Koba Otanadze was called to the office of the SOD and he was persecuted. Koba Otanadze disappeared 14 days before the incident.

“We have been persecuted since the uprising. One week after the incident strangers broke into the house of my brother Nugzar and dragged him from the bed. Later, he was tortured in the office of the SOD,” said Jimsher Otanadze.

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