Former political prisoners rally outside UNM office

Protestors and former political prisoners have vented their frustration in a peaceful rally outside the United National Movement party office.

A political banner showing the face of the ex-minister of Internal Affairs Vano Merabishvili was splashed with red paint yesterday night.

More than a hundred protestors gathered outside the UNM party office and demanded the removal of a political banner supporting UMN Secretary-General and ex-minister of Internal Affairs Vano Merabishvili. Written on the banner was "Freedom to Vano Merabishvili”.

The protest rally followed the leak of a controversial video where Merabishvili, who at the time was Georgia’s Minister of Internal Affairs, ordered military Special Forces to bring him "two dead bodies”.

At today’s rally, demonstrators held photographs in their hands depicting peaceful rallies spread by riot police in 2007 (November 7) and 2011 (May 6).

Supporters also held up photographs of deceased citizens, whose murder cases were believed to be linked to former high officials.

"Merabishvili has committed many terrible things. We cannot allow him to be released,” demonstrators Jaba Jishkariani said.

Former political prisoner Levan Gogichaishvili said the controversial video, leaked on the internet on January 29, was more scandalous than prison abuse footage.

"In the footage showing prison abuse the major criminals are the superintendents of the prison,” Gogichaishvili said.

"As for this video, we can see high officials appear to be planning a special operation to eliminate two people.”

In the leaked video footage where Merabishvili ordered armed forces to bring him "two dead bodies”, Former Minister of Justice Zurab Adeishvili, ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili and Tbilisi’s suspended Mayor Gigi Ugulava can be seen. Head of the Constitutional Security Department Data Akhalaia and former head of the Criminal Police Erekle Kodua also participated in the operation, the video showed.