December 4, 2024 - The South Caucasus News - SouthCaucasusNews.com

During the trial of Ali Karimli, the chairman of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (AXCP), 12 party members were detained. Four of them – Elchin Hacivelli, Rovshan Asparov, Bakhtiyar Huseynov, and Mikayil Ismailov – were brought before the Nasimi District Court.

According to a statement from the party, these individuals were subjected to physical abuse while in police custody, with one reporting injuries such as a torn nail. Ali Karimli’s bodyguard, Ruslan Amirov, was also reportedly beaten, though his current whereabouts are unknown. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has not yet commented on the situation.

In a separate case, Ali Karimli was found guilty of defamation under Article 147.1 of the Criminal Code by the Nasimi District Court, which imposed a fine of 1,500 AZN. This decision stemmed from a lawsuit filed by former AXCP member Aydin Aliyev, who had demanded a six-month prison sentence for Karimli.

Karimli has called the verdict politically motivated and has vowed to appeal. During the court proceedings, among those detained included prominent figures such as Vidadi Mirkamal and Ruslan Amirov. Some were released later, but details about the others remain unclear.

The conflict between Karimli and Aliyev dates back to 2019 when Aliyev was expelled from the party for his alleged opposition to its political course. Aliyev accused Karimli of defamation in media statements, which Karimli denied, asserting that his comments were truthful and consistent with his party’s stance.

The AXCP has described the entire legal process as a politically driven attempt to weaken the party and remove its leadership from political activity. The party’s statement claims that the government is using Aliyev, a former active member who later aligned himself with pro-government activities, as a tool to undermine Karimli and the AXCP.

The post AXCP Leader Ali Karimli Found Guilty of Defamation as Party Members Are Detained in Ongoing Political Struggle appeared first on MEYDAN.TV.

On November 28, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement that Georgia was withdrawing from EU accession negotiations sparked popular protests of a kind never before seen in Georgia. It started in Tbilisi, of course, but within days the protests had spread throughout Georgia: Batumi, Kutaisi, Gori, Khashuri, Ozurgeti, Akhaltsikhe and other cities. The number of people joining the protests also increased. Most importantly, they spread to civil servants, professional groups and businesses. People of all ages, political views and social classes took to the streets to protest against the change in foreign policy announced by the ruling party.

From the very first day of the protests, a range of ‘special measures’ were used to disperse peaceful demonstrators: tear gas canisters, rubber bullets, water cannons, truncheons, beatings, etc. The time frame for the use of special measures has been shrinking, with the police starting to use them in the last few days before the rallies even really got going.

On a par with the police forces are the unidentified groups of men in black, lightly equipped but carrying rubber bullet guns, with their faces covered, without insignia (it is noteworthy that the faces of almost all the police have their faces covered with black masks or medical masks, making it impossible to identify the perpetrators of human rights violations).

These units of men in black accompany the special forces and the riot police and attack demonstrators who resist the crowd. By the 5th day of protests, there is mounting evidence of police brutality on an unprecedented proportion, both during the arrests in the streets, as well as after the detentions. The stories that have emerged have only made the protesters angrier, as they now see even more clearly the future that awaits Georgia, as it drifts towards authoritarianism, in the model of Belarus or Russia. No policeman has yet been charged with violence.

The youth have come to the forefront of the resistance’s, with their energy, uncompromising nature, risk proneness, creativity and resourcefulness. They started using fireworks to defend themselves, formed groups that use the water bottles to neutralize the tear gas canisters, and created an application to track the movements of the special forces, riot police and “men in black” in the streets of Tbilisi.

An integral part of the story of resistance is what the demonstrators go through while exercising their constitutional right to demonstration and expression. These stories have resonated in Georgian society and caused an outcry among citizens. These stories, it seems, despite intimidating the citizens, provoked even greater citizen participation in the rallies.

RFE/RL- Georgia Office spoke to several individuals the victims of police brutality during the recent rallies. Data Kharaishvili’s who was detained at night on December 3. He says he was trying to escape the special forces, when he dropped the phone, he turned back and that was the firs time that he was first kicked in the face by special forces. He says those were the Special Tasks Department employees, subordinated to notorious Zviad Kharazishvili, who is sanctioned by the US Department for human rights abuses. He says, he was cursed at, the police ripped an earring out of his ear and snatched his mobile phone watch. He was among those who would be severly beaten in the police van.

“When they opened the minivan door, there was a man inside who was being brutally beaten by a special forces officer. He was also being insulted with profane words as they yelled at him, ‘Speak up!’ It turned out that the man was mute. One of the special forces officers told the other, ‘I think he’s mute, leave him alone.’ But the response was, ‘To hell with that!’ and they didn’t stop, yelling, ‘If he’s here, he has to speak!’ he recalls. He then said: “When they threw me inside, they turned their attention to me. Periodically, the door would open, and two or three angry men would jump in, beat us and kick us. ” He says the detained were hit mostly in the face. Data says it’s still unclear how badly his eye is injured, as he can’t open it yet.

Gela Megrelidze was arrested by special forces in front of the Parliament of Georgia on December 1st, around 1 am. He recalls the night of his arrest: “Water canons were already being used on Chichinadze and Chitadze streets, and people had fled that way. There was almost no one left near the Parliament… I was sorting through my cameras and physiological solutions. Suddenly, the iron gate of the Parliament opened, and riot police rushed out, attacking the two remaining skinny persons.” He was shoved into a minibus. “There, everyone beat me and insulted me, he recalls calling it a “standard story” adding that the riot police took his phone, camera, and charger. He said while beating him the special forces and riot police repeated the GD propaganda that he was a foreign agent acting on somebody’s order, and that he wanted a war.

He further recalls: “When they transferred me to the main police department on Kakheti Highway, I saw people who were severely beaten, covered in blood, sitting at a table to sign the arrest protocols, and blood was dripping onto the table.” The protocols all had the same thing written in them: ‘I was on Chichinadze Street, trying to break through the police cordon, cursing, throwing stones…’ I had never been on Chichinadze Street. Most of the people didn’t sign these protocols, and they were taken directly to the pre-trial detention facility.”

Luka Dzidziguri was arrested on December 1st, between 6 and 7 am on Rustaveli Avenue. He was at the rally with his friend and was about to head home when the police once again deployed tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. The young men took shelter in a yard, where they stayed for 15-20 minutes until the smoke cleared. Afterward, they packed their masks and other protective gear into their backpacks and returned to Rustaveli Avenue.

He was arrested by young men who were then joined by and older man who upon arriving started mocking him, saying they have arrested a revolutionary and asking him how many fireworks and stones he threw.” Without provoking the police, he was punched in the face with his fist. My lip split, and my mouth filled with blood.

Then they started searching my bag, finding a syringe, physiological solution, spare pants, and a bottle of drinking water. When they saw the syringe, they asked if I was a drug addict. Then I heard the sound of the water bottle opening, and suddenly they poured it down my neck, saying, ‘Here, catch a cold now.’ One of them said, ‘Pour some more on him, it’ll feel better.’ They emptied a two-liter bottle on me,” Luka recalls. Before the special forces handed Luka over to the patrol police, they beat him several more times.

“When they were hitting me, the older man started shouting at the younger ones, telling them to calm down and stop what they were doing. But before I could think that he was trying to help me, he said, ‘If someone’s going to hit him, it’s going to be me, you know I hit the hardest,’ and suddenly he hit me in the back of the head so hard that I lost strength in my legs and nearly passed out.

When they saw I was falling, they told me to get up, and then kicked me in the back. During all this time, the hat was still covering my face, and I couldn’t see anything. When they realized I couldn’t stand, they said, ‘Take him away,’ and they put me into some vehicle, where I still had the hat covering my face and couldn’t see anything.

They took me to the Digomi police station. There, one boy was so badly beaten that his face was unrecognizable. I think his name was Saba. He was immediately transferred to the clinic. Both of his eyes were swollen shut, and he couldn’t see at all,” Luka recalls.

Zviad Maisashvili story’s is the one that truly shook the Georgian society and prompted even more youngsters to protest. On the night of the protest, at 11 pm, Zviad arrived at rally with his brother, just as the special forces were using water cannons to disperse demonstrators on Chitadze Street. At the same time, a police cordon moved forward on Rustaveli avenue from Freedom Square.

“This cordon pushed the crowd toward us, and we had to retreat. Suddenly, police officers came out from Chitadze Street and ran onto the Rustaveli Avenue sidewalk. I was in the area where one man was dragged away, another was being beaten, and a journalist was lying motionless in front of me. I narrowly escaped being arrested. They were spraying pepper spray everywhere, and it was hard to breathe. Everything was happening at once, and we couldn’t move forward,” recalls Zviad Maisashvili.

Due to the uncontrollable situation, he fled towards the Rustaveli metro station. He had no protective equipment, having only worn a face mask to the protest. The demonstrators had already set up barricades. The special forces had quickly occupied the area in front of the parliament.

“Where I was, it wasn’t the epicenter of the protest, and most of the people were already heading home. We heard that the police were coming from the upper streets to encircle the demonstrators. We started to move forward a bit, but my brother got left behind, so I turned back to find him. When we looked up, we saw the police coming down. Everything happened in seconds, and we ran.

Within moments, other officers surrounded me and started kicking my legs. I screamed, ‘Don’t hit me,’ but they kept hitting me, and I blacked out. That’s all I remember”.

Zviad Maisashvili was physically attacked by around ten police officers in front of the Rustaveli Theatre. The incident was broadcast live by the party member, Theona Chalidze. The footage shows him lying on the asphalt, helpless, when one of the policemen kicks him in the head with his heel when he was lying down, and almost immediate another policeman kicks him in the face. After that Zviad fell unconscious.

He credits people who came to his aid and managed protect him from being detained- Nanka Kalatozishvili and Giorgi Bakhutashvili [well known actors in Georgia]. “They who helped me to a car, and I was taken to the clinic. When I woke up, I was already in a medical facility,” says Zviad, recalling the attack.

Tornike Chelidze, Avtandil Shavgulishvili and Demetre Khurtsilava’s were protesting the change in Georgia’s foreign policy path in front of Parliament. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has charged them under Part 1 of Article 173, which pertains to disobedience or insult toward law enforcement officers.

“I was standing peacefully. Five people came, dragged me, and beat me. Four men pulled me along. Along the way, many police officers saw me and hit me. I didn’t throw any stones, nor did I insult anyone”, said Avtandil Shavgulishvili during the trial, adding he was verbally abused all the way as well.

“What did I do wrong? I asked, and they hit me in the head. They told me, ‘Don’t act like a fool,’” stated Demetre Khurtsilava in his testimony.

Tornike Chelidze recalled that he was arrested by the special forces while leaving the protest to go home—he was pulled out of his car. All three of them testified that they were brutally beaten during their arrest. However, Judge Lela Tsagareishvili did not allow the lawyers to discuss the beatings issue, stating that it would not be addressed in this session and would only address the “disobedience” and “insults” to police officers.

Tornike Beradze was beaten by police upon detention. “While being beaten, the detainees were spat on, cursed and shouted at as well as threatened with rape. The lawyer of the Legal Aid Network recalls that the beatings didn’t stop even after he put in a police minibus with other detainees – these minivan-type vehicles are used by the police to collect detainees for transfer to police precincts.

“The minibus was a nightmare, there were all these beaten people sitting there, there was a pool of blood in the minibus – I saw an empty seat, I sat down. The person sitting next to me gave me a piece of cloth, he had also been beaten. When I started to clean my face, the door opened and the special forces officer had entered hit me again in the face. Then the door opened again and my brother and my friend were brought in.

I was sitting closest to the door of the minibus, which opened three times in total, and everyone who entered hit me in the face. “The last time I covered my face with my hand and they kicked me,” Tornike recalls of the time before he was taken to the police station.

Salome Zandukeli recalls being beaten by special forces on the night of December 1-2 on Besiki Street: “Probably about 20-25 of the riot police were chasing us. When I turned around, the first thing that came to my mind was to start filming a video, but that irritated one of them so much that he ran at me and told me to turn off the phone. When I didn’t turn it off, he ripped it out of my hands, threw it on the ground, and slammed me against the wall. They were shouting terribly vulgar words at us. They were hitting us on the head. Several special forces officers were attacking two girls. Some of them chased the some guys, and I don’t know what happened to them. I was screaming ‘You’re from the same place as me, what’s wrong with you?” but nothing helped.

Salome Zandukeli recalls that her and her friend then ran out of the building and took refuge in one of the bars on Rustaveli Avenue. But within three or four minutes, the whole avenue was surrounded by special forces and, fearing a raid, they turned off the lights in the bar, locked the door and turned off the TV. “Had they come inside, I don’t know what would have happened to us,” Salome Zandukeli shares.

Activist Gia Jvarshishvili was arrested on the night of December 1-2 on Rustaveli Street. He had his hands up to show he is not aggressive, but was forced to pull hands down and attacked. He recalls: “They were swearing at me…They took me to the detention vehicle, and before that, they made me pass through their famous corridor, where around two hundred people were cursing at me. As soon as I lost sight of them, they shouted to the others, ‘This one threw a Molotov cocktail,’ and upon hearing that, another furious special forces officer started chasing me”.

“Suddenly, I felt unbearable pain and realized something had happened to me. At that moment, I didn’t know I had a broken rib. They forced me to stand up, but I collapsed from the pain and crawled to the back of the minibus. It seems this was a special vehicle, as it didn’t have windows. It was very spacious inside… At some point, I found it hard to breathe. I heard someone say, ‘Don’t let him die’ (followed by more cursing).”

Zviad Ratiani who was detained on the night of November 28-29 says with his detainment aired live as he was dragged into the crowd of the police. The police started beating him relentlessly, leading him down the street. As Zviad recounts, they continued to push him to the car, while the officers were furious and continued hitting him, especially once the cameras were no longer in range.

“They didn’t stop until they threw me into the car, and then, as we were temporarily stopped on Kakheti Highway, they kept insulting and beating me nonstop,” he says.

In the car, Zviad was alone with the police officers. One of them, sitting in the front, deliberately punched him in the head and body. With his hands tied, Zviad could only turn toward the back seat to avoid the blows to his face.

“They mostly insulted me and said they’d break me. They said, ‘We’re dragging you now, and we’ll see how you crack,’” Zviad recalls. “But they couldn’t break me.”

At the temporary stop on the way to the detention facility, as Zviad recalls “they brought in a severely beaten-up guy and made him sign a statement saying he had fallen down the stairs. Then they turned to me and said, ‘See how the nice guys behave? You should act the same way,’” Zviad recounts. “I responded as necessary. After that, patrol police transferred me to the Zahesi temporary detention facility, where the beating stopped.”