Irakli Batiashvili’s Lawyer Accuses Government in Falsification of Audio Record

Tbilisi, 23.08.2006, ‘Media News’ – “Someone has falsified Emzar Kvitsiani and Irakli Batiashvili’s phone conversation to use it as a reason for Batiashvili’s arrest,” – declared the lawyer of former Minister of Internal Affairs, Ioseb Baratashvili during the press conference, held in the Public Defender’s Office. Baratashvili showed the real audio record of phone conversation, obtained by the help of Ombudsman’s Office, to the media.

In audio record, Emzar Kvitsiani says that Kupalba has called him and offered him assistant ‘with definite number of people’. Kvitsiani’s answer was deleted in the version of conversation, which was disseminated by television. Kvitsiani says: “I said, I will do it myself. And you can do whatever you want, only after we all are dead. But it will never happen”. Batiashvili’s answer is also deleted: “But, you should know, that despite everything that is said about you in television, everything is on your side, because everyone sees, that you really are fighting for your region”.

According to the lawyer, false evidences caused Batiashvili’s arrest. The accusation that he has knew that Kvitsiani received support from kupalba and he has not informed state about it, is wrong; because Kvitsiani has not got any assistance from Abkhazian side.

Ioseb Baratashvili will submit appeal to the General Prosecutor’s office on the 24th of August, demanding punishment of people, who have falsified the audio record.

The lawyer is waiting for explanation from administration of TV Company ‘Rustavi 2’, who was the first to air the audio record. Baratashvili is interested, how TV Company has got this record.