Civil sector demands to investigate beating of gay activists in Batumi

On August 26, members of 16 Georgian NGOs supported the demand to investigate the information about beating of two activists at the police station in Batumi.

According to Levan Berianidze, the executive director of the "Equality Movement", and Tornike Kusiani, a member of the board of the same NGO, in the morning on August 25, they were attacked by unidentified people in Batumi Boulevard. At that moment, the activists were accompanied by female transgender people.

The activists sought help from the policemen standing nearby, but they ignored the request for help and then detained Levan Berianidze and Tornike Kusiani with the use of force.

The detention and beating of the activists from the "Equality Movement" was condemned by members of 16 Georgian NGOs, who on August 26 made public a joint statement in the situation.

In their statement, the NGOs appealed to officials from the Prosecutor's Office with a request to ensure an effective and timely investigation into the case and to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) with a demand to immediately suspend the powers of the policemen who allegedly participated in the beating of the activists, reports the message posted on the website of the Georgian Centre for Human Rights Education and Monitoring.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.