Vusal Kaibov, 31, was arrested by police in the village of Yormughanlo, Sagarejo municipality, on charges of illegally purchasing and storing firearms. He is a member of the opposition coalition Strong Georgia. Representatives of the coalition describe the arrest as political persecution.
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"Yesterday in Yormuganlo, our supportive and active member was arrested at the same time as our regional leader, Agil Mustafaev, visited the area - simply because he participated in the gathering. It is evident that this is a political maneuver. His house was searched, and allegedly, based on some operative information, an unknown weapon was found, with which the residents of the house had no contact. This is an expression of political persecution by those who fear losing power," said Saba Buadze, one of the leaders of Strong Georgia, during today's briefing.
Based on information provided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, employees of the Sagarejo District Division of the Kakheti Police Department searched the detainee's residence based on a judge's order. As a result, two firearms and 59 cartridges were seized as evidence.
Vusal Kaibov's brother, in an interview with TV PirveIi, stated that the police retrieved two guns, one of which was "non-functional," from the roof of the house. "It likely belonged to my grandfather; he built this house. I'm 36 years old and have never been on that roof. It was probably left there by my grandfather, who passed away in 2011," the detainee's brother noted, adding that the police did not disclose where they obtained the information about the weapon.
According to Giorgi Shaishmelashvili, a member of Strong Georgia, Vusal Kaibov joined them only a few days ago and had been encouraging people to join the coalition's election campaign. "As soon as the government sensed a strong alternative emerging, even in regions it considers electoral strongholds and doesn’t regard the people as full-fledged citizens, they carried out this special operation the very next day," Shaishmelashvili remarked.
The case has been initiated under Article 236, Part 3 of the Criminal Code, which concerns the illegal purchase and storage of firearms and carries a sentence of 3 to 6 years' imprisonment.
