Tbilisi, Georgia: Two innocent youngsters were mistakenly arrested by the Georgian Police near Rustaveli metro. By mistake, the police arrested those boys instead of the individual who was launching fireworks at the Philharmonic Hotel.
The two boys that were detained, Otar Kvaratskhelia, age 18, and Rati Tkemaladze, age 23, are protected by the Human Rights Protection Organization “Rights Georgia.”
The lawyers of the Organization, Mariam Maghradze and Dimitri Nozadze met with the prisoners. After inquiries, it was found that they were dressed in civilian uniforms and were forcefully put into the cars without any explanation.
It was later discovered that those detainees were criminal police officers who had planned to bury and abduct someone else. Specifically, Police planned to arrest the person shooting fireworks at a hotel in Tbilisi.
According to the outfit, the Georgian police considered that the mentioned person was Otar Kvaratskhelia. Rati Tkemaladze was with Kvaratskhelia and that’s why he was arrested.
Although police arrested these persons by mistake, they were prosecuted under articles 173 of the Administrative Offenses Code- Disobedience to a police officer’s legal requirement- and 174th Prima- Violation of Assembly and Manifestation Rule.
“Rights Georgia” considers that part of the disobedience to the legal demand is complete absurdity. Otar Kvaratskhelia and Rati Tkemaladze were not able to identify as police officers because, at the time of arrest, they did not introduce themselves, did not wear police uniforms, did not have any identification badges, did not say that they were police, and did not use the Ministry of Internal Affairs cars.
Notably, Otar Kvaratskhelia and Rati Tkemaladze’s lawyers spent the entire night looking for him. Lawyers were not given accurate or misleading information regarding the whereabouts of police officers and pre-arrest isolators. The exact location of the detainees was only possible at dawn. Police used methods of psychological pressure and violence against the detainees.
