Ombudsperson demands investigation of law enforcers’ actions during detentions in Batumi

Three out of the ten people detained at the protest action in Batumi demanded an investigation into the law enforcers’ actions, and one of the detainees claimed being beaten. A criminal case has been instituted against Mziya Amaglobeli, the founder of the “Batumelebi” and “Netgazeti” online publications for attacking a police officer.

On January 11, a protest action was held in Batumi, the participants of which demanded to hold new parliamentary elections. Ten people were detained, including Mziya Amaglobeli, the founder of the “Batumelebi” and “Netgazeti” online publications. The reason for the detention was a poster with a call to start a general strike, which the woman pasted on the wall. When Mziya Amaglobeli was released, she found herself in a crush and, trying to get out, waved her hand, accidentally hitting the Batumi police chief.

Mziya Amaglobeli, the director of the “Batumelebi-Netgazeti” publishing group, has been detained for assaulting a police officer (the article provides for four to seven years of imprisonment), the “News-Georgia” agency reports with reference to the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

Employees of the Office of the Public Defender of Georgia visited ten people detained at the protest actions, including one minor. According to the Georgian Ombudsperson’s information, five of the detainees reported improper treatment by law enforcers. One of the detainees complained that as a result of the police actions, he had got chest and head pain, as well as abrasions on his arms.

Most of the detainees reported that the police did not explain to them the reasons for their detention. Four of the detainees also claim being insulted by law enforcers, the “Interpressnews” agency reports.