Relatives of the leader of "Movement for United Georgia" are tried for participation in scuffle

In Batumi, a trial goes on of the case about a scuffle between David Dzhaparidze and members of the family of Eka Beseliya, leader of the "Movement for United Georgia". The prosecutor's office demands from 6 to 12 years of imprisonment for her brother Sergo Beseliya for participation in a scuffle with application of cold steel arms - knuckles, while her son - Rati Milorava - is under threat of conditional punishment, as at the moment of the scuffle he was 15.

According to the version of the prosecution, on August 19, Rati Milorava and Sergo Beseliya were initiators of the quarrel: in one of the caf?s in Batumi they, being with a group of several other people, inflicted a verbal, and then a physical insult to the married couple Dzhaparidze. Knuckles were used during the scuffle.

As stated by Eka Beseliya, secretary general of the "Movement of United Georgia", her relatives have nothing to do with the incident, while their attraction to criminal liability is a "political blackmail by the authorities."

"They just tried to calm down the quarrel and were witnesses of that situation. And only after it became known that they are my relatives the case was initiated," Ms Beseliya said.

Lili Gelashvili, advocate of Rati Milorava and Sergo Beseliya, said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that policemen's evidences at the trial "contradict their evidences presented at the preliminary investigation." "Besides, one of the victims, David Dzhaparidze, testified that Sergo Beseliya tried to stop the scuffle," she said.

According to Ms Gelashvili, norms of the law of criminal procedure were breached in the course of investigation.