14:18, 14 October 2015

"Free Zone" claims political motives for prosecution of activists in Georgia

An activist of the NGO "Free Zone". Photo by Marina Bukiya for the "Caucasian Knot"

Tbilisi has started the trial in the case of journalist Zaza Davitaya, who was beaten last year. Activists of the NGO "Free Zone" are involved in the case as defendants. At the first court session, after the advocate's speech, the Judge, who chaired the trial, disqualified herself.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 30, 2014, Zaza Davitaya, an observer of the Georgian newspaper "Asaval-Dasavali", was beaten in the capital of Georgia.

Parnavaz Chkadua and David Gogokhiya, two activists the NGO "Free Zone", were detained on suspicion of beating the journalist. They face up to 7 years of imprisonment.

The NGO "Free Zone" is associated with the "United National Movement" (UNM) Party of ex-President Mikhail Saakashvili. On September 23, members of the youth movement "Free Generation" held an action demanding the self-liquidation of the NGO "Free Zone". They have claimed that they give the NGO "Free Zone" a 10-day period for its self-liquidation.

Gela Vasadze, a co-founder of the NGO "Free Zone", believes that the case against the NGO activists is politically motivated. He also treats as political pressure the criminal proceedings against three members of the NGO, sentenced to two months of pre-trial detention for the incident during the rally held in front of the parliament building in support of the "Rustavi 2" TV Channel on October 2.

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

Author: Beslan Kmuzov

Source: CK correspondent