Beating up Akhalkalaki residents by policemen not confirmed, Georgian MP asserts

The residents of the city of Akhalkalaki, who had reported about beatings by the police after their arrest on December 3, did not file a complaint, said the Ombudsman's Office of Georgia. The statements of the victims and their relatives were not confirmed, Samvel Petrosyan, an MP from Akhalkalaki, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 8 Akhalkalaki hosted a protest against the actions of local policemen who had detained four young men on suspicion of robbery. The protesters said that law enforcers had violated the law by beating up the young men.

"We have no applications on this issue," the press service of the Ombudsman of Georgia told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The absence of an official complaint was also confirmed by the MP Samvel Petrosyan. "On December 8, I met relatives of the young men who had been detained on December 3 by the police, in order to find out the reason of their discontent," the parliamentarian told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"When their parents came to my office, I also asked to invite the detainees in order to inspect them for the traces of beatings. However, there were no trace; and I realized that there were no reasons for initiating a case," said Samvel Petrosyan.

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