Former MIA official arrested for torture and illegal deprivation of liberty

A former high official at the country’s intelligence department has been arrested for torture and illegal deprivation of liberty.

Charges were laid against Levan Tabidze, ex-deputy director of the Counter-Intelligence Department today.

An investigation by the Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georiga, being conducted under the Criminal Code of Georgia, could see Tabidze given a prison sentence for his crimes. The charge of deprivation of liberty has a sentence from nine to 15 years imprisonment.

The Prosecutor’s Office claim Tabidze planned and accomplished the deprivation of liberty and torture of Koba Otanadze’s relatives for the purpose of obtaining information regarding the whereabouts of fugitives Koba Otanadze and Gia Krialashvili, who were wanted for the so-called "Mukhrovani Mutiny”.

Mutiny broke out when the Mukrovani tank Battalion disobeyed orders after the government announcement it had uncovered a ‘Russian-backed plot’ to destabilize Georgia and assassinate President Saakashvili.

Later, Georgian authorities retracted their accusations of an assassination plot and allegations of Russian support.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, on the night of May 20, 2009, Tabidze and his co-offenders unlawfully entered the residence of Murad Zaridze, who was a relative of Koba Otanadze.

The Prosecutor’s statement said: "The spouse of Murad Zaridze – Natia Tvauri, a one-year-old child, parents and his sisters were at home at that time. Having entered the house, Levan Tabidze and other masked persons, currently unidentified by the investigation, started to severely assault Murad Zaridze and his family members.

"Specifically, Levan Tabidze approached the spouse of Murad Zaridze, Natia Tvauri, who was lying in bed and hit her several times on the face. Then, he made Murad Zaridze’s sister Natia Zaridze fall from her bed onto the floor and started to beat her with cruelty."

"Afterwards, he entered the kitchen where witness of the above-mentioned incident Rusiko Ivanidze – the mother of Murad Zaridze - was located. She shouted for help. In response, he used his fist to hit her on the head and made her to fall on the floor. He continued to beat her.

"Levan Tabidze insisted to receive information on the whereabouts of the wanted fugitive Koba Otanadze from the family members of Murad Zaridze,” read the statement.

In addition, the statement said since Tabidze and his co-offenders failed to achieve their desired outcome in locating the the wanted fugitive Koba Otanadze, they illegally deprived Murad Zaridze and his family members of their liberties, including the one-year-old child, and in absence of any legal ground they unlawfully housed them at the so called "MODULI” building.

Murad Zaridze and his family members were separately brought into an office of Tabidze and were physically and verbally insulted there.

The Prosecutor’s Office stated the physical assault and other threats had also been applied to the infant as well.

"As a result, Natia Zaridze could not stand the violence exercised upon her and she told them all she knew about the whereabouts of Koba Otanadze,” the statement read.

Based on the information obtained by Tabidze by use of torture, the special operation was conducted on the highway of Tianeti, Tbilisi.

As a result of the operation, Gia Krialashvili was killed while Koba Otanadze and Levan Amiridze were severely wounded.

According to the Prosecution’s statement, Vano Merabishvili – the Minister of Interior of Georgia - financially rewarded Tabidze for exercising cruelty upon the family members of Zaridze and obtaining information regarding the whereabouts of the wanted fugitives.

Tabidze was rewarded with 10 000 GEL.

In addition, pursuant to the Ordinance of the President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, Vakhtang Gorgasali First Grade Award was granted to Tabidze.

The Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia is continuing to investigation the incident with the aim of establishing the criminal circumstances of the special operation targeted to detain the fugitives Koba Otanadze, Levan Amiridze and Gia Krialashvili wanted for the so called "Mukhorvani Mutiny”.