Bacho Akhalaya arrested under case on beating officers in Georgia

Bacho Akhalaya, ex-Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia, Giorgy Kalandadze, Chief of General Staff, and Zurab Shamatava, Chief of the Fourth Division,were detained in connection with the investigation into the case of beating of six officers in 2011. This was reported by Archil Kbiliashvili, Chief Prosecutor of Georgia.

Bacho Akhalaya resigned from his position of the Minister of Internal Affairs on September 20, after a scandal, connected with tortures of prisoners in the Gldani Prison No. 8, and left Georgia. However, on November 5, he returned to the country for questioning and was detained at night on November 6-7. Giorgy Kalandadze and Zurab Shamatava were arrested together with Bacho Akhalaya.

Bacho Akhalaya, Giorgy Kalandadze, and Zurab Shamatava are charged of using violence against military men. According to investigators, in October 2011, Akhalaya, Shamatava, and Kalandadze beat six officers in the Minister's office, and then all victims were forcibly brought to one of the military units.

"Then, they were beaten on parade ground in front of other military men," said at the briefing Archil Kbiliashvili, Chief Prosecutor of Georgia.

The Prosecutor's Office has the right to keep Bacho Akhalaya in custody for three days. During this period, the preliminary hearing is to be held to decide on the pre-trial restriction measure against him.

David Dekanoidze, lawyer of Bacho Akhalaya believe that the ex-Minister was arrested unlawfully.

"The Prosecutor's Office should not chose keeping in custody as a pre-trial restriction measure against Bacho Akhalaya, since he voluntarily came to Georgia from abroad specially to help the investigation," said David Dekanoidze in his interview to the "Caucasian Knot".