Salome Zurabishvili, the fifth President of Georgia, has commented on the beating of Giorgi Bachiashvili, former head of the Co-Investment Fund, in prison. According to her, "complete lawlessness now prevails in the country in all respects."
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"We see what is happening in the judiciary and what kind of judiciary exists in Georgia today, one that no longer adheres to any standards other than fully executing all instructions from the authorities. Today, this is compounded by what we have learned about the conditions created in prisons for those who are victims of this regime. Giorgi Bachiashvili's situation today is alarming. It is unacceptable that the elementary standards of protection, considered democratic in any country, are not upheld in prison. We are no longer there.
What is happening is excessive: how a person serving a sentence is attacked even in their cell, and then how they are transferred to a clinic, whenever they want, however they want, without warning, and without any explanation or public transparency. This is a violation of all human rights. I don't know where the Public Defender is, or how much he has reacted to all of this. This institution also no longer fulfills its duties. Insecurity is what reigns in this country today.
I want to remind everyone of the fact that it was precisely because of these cruel actions and unjust treatment in prisons that the previous regime ended. Therefore, everyone should know that full responsibility for all of this will lie with those who not only give orders, but also with those who carry them out illegally and are prepared to participate in the cruelest behavior.
This is not Georgia, these are not Georgian traditions, this is not the justice we have built and followed for centuries. This is a different regime, a different country; we will not tolerate this for a single moment. It is time for society to see what is happening. It is time not to look away, because this is what affects everyone today and tomorrow," stated Salome Zurabishvili.
Giorgi Bachiashvili, sentenced to 11 years in the so-called Bitcoin case, was beaten in his cell at Gldani Penitentiary Facility No. 8 on Friday, July 11. Information about this was initially reported by TV Pirveli on July 14, soon followed by a detailed letter from the prisoner himself, describing the incident.
According to Bachiashvili, at 7 PM, an unknown person entered his cell, where he had been alone for the past week, and verbally and physically assaulted him. The prisoner states that three days prior to this incident, on July 8, he was summoned by David Gogoberishvili, head of Penitentiary Facility No. 8, who "repeatedly advised" him to grant Bidzina Ivanishvili access to his "bank accounts, cryptocurrency transactions, and account addresses."
“I connect my beating to an unlawful attempt to forcibly seize my property and to intimidation,” says Giorgi Bachiashvili.
The Special Penitentiary Service called the case an "incident between convicted persons" and stated that the relevant investigative unit of the Ministry of Justice is conducting an investigation.
Bachiashvili was sued by Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder and honorary chairman of the Georgian Dream party. According to the Prosecutor's Office, Bachiashvili handed over only $536,900 to Ivanishvili from the profits of the investment, while unlawfully appropriating the remaining 8,986 bitcoins owed to the investor, valued at approximately $43 million at the time. Giorgi Bachiashvili does not consider himself guilty.
