“Report to People” When Opposition Members Are Raided

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

Activists of the National Movement (ruling party), local officials and high-ranking officials of the police raided the office of the Conservative Party for the song of “Utsnobi”

Yesterday, the government of Georgia presented the residents of Telavi with their report. Eerekle Avenue was closed all day long in Telavi. Employees of the public agencies in different districts of Kakheti region visited the street exhibition of ministries. At 3:00 pm the president of Georgia also visited Telavi. Ministers were talking about democratic reforms with the population; the president was speaking about the ongoing development in the country. Meanwhile, high-ranking police officers and armed activists of the National Movement raided the Telavi Office of the Conservative Party.

The attackers beat the members of the opposition parties ruthlessly. Telavi office of the Conservative Party was raided. The equipment and furniture are broken. Policemen seized mobile phones from the party members and broke them. The members of the party Giorgi Dalakishvili, Erekle Tsotsanidze, Giorgi Mosiashvili, head of the Telavi office of the Republic Party Gogi Chonishvili, member of the New Rights Archil Jorjadze and head of local non-governmental organization Aleksandre Taliuri are ruthlessly beaten.

Gogi Chonishvili said the policemen and activists of the National Movement broke into the office of the Conservative Party because they heard the party members were listening to the song of Gia Gachechiladze (brother of the opposition leader Levan Gachechiladze; he also opposes the government and most of his songs are critical about the government).

Archil Jorjadze, member of the Telavi Office of the New Rights: “They rushed into the office like wolves. About 20 stout men were kicking and beating us with butts, chairs and truncheons. It was so painful we were screaming loudly and asking for help; in order to make us silent they were hitting more ruthlessly. When they learned some journalists tried to get into the office, stopped beating us.”

We arrived at the office of the Conservative Party several minutes later and heard screaming. Imeda Kevlishvili, leader of the Telavi office of the National Movement, met me on the stairs; I saw Parna Makashvili, deputy chairperson of the Telavi Municipality Board and armed people who were dressed in civil clothes. As soon as they saw us, everybody pointed guns at us.

-What are you doing? Are you shooting at us?

-Leave the place!

-How can I leave the place now? Let me in!

But Imeda Kevlishvili immediately rushed to me, seized Dictaphone from me and threw it away.

Anyway, we managed to reach the door of the office but it was locked. I was knocking on it and shouted we were journalists. We still heard cursing and beating noises from the office. We left the office and applied to Gia Arsenishvili, MP from the Telavi district and chairperson of the Human Rights Committee of the Parliament, who was standing in the street close to the office.

-Policemen are killing people up in the office, please help them.

-It is not my business; how do you simulate such stories?

-I am not simulating anything; can’t you hear the noise?

-I am busy, leave me alone, - said Arsenishvili and left the area.

We returned back into the office. We resisted the armed people and managed to get into the room; the door was open and I saw how opposition members were being beaten. Policemen were beating them in the head. I shouted: “What are you doing? Are you killing them?” One of the policemen ordered: “He must not be here; take him out.”

I was dragged out of the office. Several minutes later the attackers also left the office.

Representatives of the Human Rights Center witnessed the incident. They said the raid was organized by the high-ranking officials of Telavi district police and Telavi department of the Constitutional Security Department. They are Shota Bezhanishvili – head of Telavi district police; Aka Sachishvili -  deputy head of Telavi district police; Gogi Giorgelashvili – head of Telavi department of the CSD; Zura Sachishvili and Zura Kadagishvili – operative officers of the CSD; Beka Rostomashvili – high-ranking official of the police department. Other policemen also participate in the dispersal; however, members of the human rights organization do not know them.

Several minutes after the incident, Giorgi Dalakishvili got sick and he was taken to Telavi district hospital by ambulance. Medical examination showed that Dalakishvili had trauma on his head. He has bruises on the head too. As for Aleksandre Taliuri, he had a tooth broken, and Erekle Tsotsanidze has bruises on his eye.

Deputy Kakheti regional governor Giorgi Sibashvili, chairperson of the Telavi municipality board Levan Akhalauri, Telavi district governor Vasil Davitashvili and other governmental officials were looking at the incident from the distance of several meters. Nika Vardoshvili, representative of the Telavi office of the New Rights asked Giorgi Sibashvili to order the policemen and activists of the National Movement to stop raid. Vice-regional governor replied to Vardoshvili’s request: “you should not have broken into our front.”

Pikria Chikhradze, leader of the New Rights, connects the incident with the stirring up of the so-called zonder-groups of the political parties. “Representatives of the opposition parties and NGOs were protesting the PR campaign of the government by the song of Gia Gachechildze. However, the members of the ruling party and police officials ruthlessly beat them. When the government pretends to represent their report to the population, people with different opinions are beaten. The activists of the National Movement raided the office and this fact shall be investigated,” said Pikria Chikhradze.

Leaders of the opposition parties will inform diplomatic corps and international organizations about the dispersal.

Kakha Kukava, leader of the Conservative Party, reported that nobody gets surprised at similar incidents. Nevertheless, the terror from the government has exceeded all limits. “If you have noticed, no protest demonstrations have been held in the country lately. That means, there is no freedom to gathering and manifesting. We plan to meet ambassadors and representatives of the international organizations soon. We will inform them about the incident in details,” said Kukava.

Investigation on the incident has not been launched yet. Today, executive director of the Human Rights Center Ucha Nanuashvili has already appealed to the Chief Prosecutor’s Office regarding the incident. In parallel to it, the Center requests to cease the professional authority of the police officers and other officials who participated in the raid.