Bilal Duishvili, a student from Pankisi, was hospitalized with a broken nose, a concussion, and multiple bruises on his body after being beaten by special forces during his arrest.
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21-year-old Bilal Duishvili was arrested on December 4, around 3-4 a.m. Earlier, riot police had dispersed a demonstration in front of the parliament building using water cannons and tear gas. At the same time, another group of riot police was deployed at Republic Square. Bilal Duishvili and his friends were among the protesters walking toward the Rustaveli metro station.
“At that moment, riot police officers moved in and began arresting the protesters. Bilal Duishvili was surrounded by 15 riot police officers and arrested. We have a short clip from a live TV broadcast showing the moment he was thrown to the ground. As he himself says, he was then thrown onto the asphalt and dragged through a cordon, where riot police officers beat him. Along with the physical abuse, there was also verbal abuse. After that, he was taken to a so-called van, where he was placed with several others. According to him, various special forces officers got out of the van and took turns beating him and the other detainees,” Mariam Kvelashvili, the victim’s lawyer and a representative from the Social Justice Center, told Georgian News.
The special forces officers took Bilal Duishvili’s wallet and phone. To this day, neither of these items have been returned to him.
“They told him to take everything out of his pockets. He took out his phone, wallet, and keys. They threw the keys back at him, saying they didn’t need them. After that, they handed him over to the patrol police, who took him to one of the departments. The officers themselves reported that he was in serious condition, stating in the protocol that he was swearing at them. Instead of being taken to the isolation ward, he was sent straight to the hospital,” Mariam Kvelashvili said.
Bilal Duishvili was discharged from the hospital after five days. His case is scheduled for trial at the Tbilisi City Court on December 27.
According to the lawyer, they have not received the case materials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but Duishvili is most likely also accused of insulting a police officer and petty hooliganism.
On December 3-4, during a protest rally in front of the Parliament, the Ministry of Internal Affairs administratively detained 22 people. During the same period, 15 individuals were taken to medical facilities from Rustaveli Avenue, including 11 rally participants, 3 media workers, and 1 representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Protests have been taking place in the center of Tbilisi since November 28, after Georgia's illegitimate government decided not to place the issue of opening EU accession negotiations on the agenda until the end of 2028. The main demands of the citizens are to hold new parliamentary elections and release those who have been illegally detained.
