Non-governmental organizations express concern over the fact of physical and verbal abuse of the GYLA employee by the head of the Adjara Police Main Division, Valerian Telia, on the Griboedov street in Batumi. The information on this incident was reported yesterday.

We think that the actions of the head of the Adjara Police Main Division contained criminal elements. Based on the information available to us, we think that, unfortunately, we face a fact of covering up the crime and an attempt to conduct the investigation incompletely instead of a timely and objective investigation into the matter.

The fact of the destruction of the video materials which might have served as important evidence for investigation by the representatives of a law enforcement body is particularly concerning.

We believe that the statements of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with emphases on the guilt of GYLA employee, are one-sided. MIA recently made the video materials public. Their recent statement that the video does not prove the fact of physical abuse looks like an attempt of deliberately misleading the general public.

Given the above, we appeal to Ministry of Internal Affairs to investigate the fact of violence and threats as well as destruction of evidence impartially and completely. Also, we demand from MIA that the head of Adjara Police Main Division be suspended until the investigation is completed.

International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED)

Transparency International – Georgia (TI)

Open Society – Georgia Foundation (OSGF)

Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI)

Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC)

The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethic

Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI)

Georgian Press Association

Civil Development Agency (CiDA)

Center of Development and Democracy

Green Alternative

Statement