Georgia: Badri Bitsadze sentenced to two months in custody, oppositionists report

The Tbilisi City Court sentenced Badri Bitsadze, former head of Georgian Frontier Police, to two months of pre-trial detention. Badri is the husband of Nino Burjanadze, ex-Speaker of the Parliament and the leader of the "People's Assembly". This was reported by the press service of the oppositional association. The country's MIA has not yet confirmed this information.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Badri Bitsadze was accused of organizing attacks on policemen by an organized group during the last week's dispersal of the opposition rally in Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi. The prosecutor's office offered to bail Bitsadze out; however, Nino Burjanadze called the charges against her husband trumped-up and stressed that she would not bail her husband out in solidarity with other detained oppositionists, who have no money to pay for their release from the pre-trial detention.

"According to Nino Burjanadze, she was called by Lasha Samushiya, her husband's advocate, who announced the court decision to her," said the press service, but failed to indicate Mr Bitsadze's whereabouts.

This information was not reported by the prosecutor's office, the court and the MIA.

The Tbilisi City Court has fixed the bail for Bitsadze amounting to 100,000 laris (about 60,000 US dollars). This information is posted on the official website of the chief prosecutor's office.

Today, Ms Burjanadze said that she was not yet detained herself only because this would provoke "cries all over the world", the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.