The Ministry of Internal Affairs accuses 21-year-old Mate Devidze of assaulting police officers during the raid on Melikishvili Avenue on November 19, a criminal offense punishable by 4 to 7 years of imprisonment.
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“The investigation established that on November 19, during a rally on Melikishvili Avenue in Tbilisi, M.D. physically assaulted law enforcement officers who had been mobilized to maintain public order.
Specifically, during the rally, he attacked police officers and injured himself with a stick.
Based on investigative activities conducted in the case and the evidence obtained, law enforcement officers arrested M.D. for attacking the police. The investigation is being carried out under the first part of Article 353 of the Criminal Code,” reads a statement by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Mate Devidze was among the 16 individuals arrested two days ago by the police on charges of petty hooliganism and disobedience to law enforcement. On the same day, three were released after submitting written statements, two were sentenced to 8-day administrative detention, and one was fined 2700 GEL. The remaining detainees were released from the temporary detention center today after reaching the maximum 48-hour detention period.
"During one of the incidents, when Nika Melia and other citizens were being arrested, we rushed to the scene to assist. At that moment, I lost sight of him, and after a few minutes, I saw four policemen trying to drag him to a car. I tried to help but couldn’t - 20 more officers arrived. They beat him, strangled him, and dragged him away like that. He was detained administratively, but this morning, his detention was reclassified as a criminal case. It’s clearly an attempt to intimidate. Just as Lazarus Grigoriadis was made a scapegoat during the March protests, the same thing is happening in Mate's case," Mate Devidze’s friend told TV Pirveli.
According to the Public Defender, on the morning of November 19, when Ministry of Internal Affairs employees began arresting rally participants on Melikishvili Avenue, the rally was peaceful and adhered to the standards of freedom of assembly. Of the 16 arrested individuals, 10 reported mistreatment or excessive force.
