Four former top officials face kidnapping and torture charges

Four Georgian former top officials are facing serious charges including torture and illegal depravation of liberty relating to incidences in 2012 under the former United National Movement (UNM) government.

Today the Chief Prosecutor’s Office officially charged four former top officials for being involved in the illegal detainment and torture of Elberd Koberidze – a resident of the eastern Gali region.

If found guilty, the offenders could spend 17 years in prison.

In a statement today the Office said former deputy Defence Minister Davit Akhalaia, former deputy head of General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces Giorgi Kalandadze, ex-deputy head of the Military Police Megis Kardava and former employee of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti police department Giorgi Samushia had illegally detained a man then tortured him for months to obtain a false testimony as if the victim was planning a terrorist act in Georgia. 

The Office claimed on July 28, 2012, Samushia and two other men detained victim Koberidze "without having any legal ground for this”. 

[Samushia] forcibly jammed the man into his car, wrapped his head in a soaked towel, handcuffed the victim and took him to Tbilisi to the administrative building of the Military Police,” the Chief Prosecutor’s Office statement read. 

Once inside the police building, the victim was locked in a room and subjected to several hours of physical abuse by Akhalaia, Kalandadze, Kardava and Samushia. The aim of the torture was to get Koberidze to admit to a terrorist act "he had no knowledge of”. 

They beat him violently, sprayed him with CO gas, tortured him with a plastic bag and threatened to rape him if he did not admit to the crime. In the process Koberidze lost conscious and he was dragged to another room where he was abandoned for eight days,” said the Office.

During these eight days Koberidze’s family had no idea of his whereabouts, despite contacting law enforcement bodies to find the missing man.

On August 6, 2012 Koberidze, who was still unconscious and suffering from the effects of the severe torture, was taken to the Gori Military Hospital. Instead of being treated he was tied to a bed and left under constant surveillance and permanent control. 

To disguise the incident, the former officials registered Koberidze at the hospital as Eldar Mamaladze. 

The Office said once Koberidze had recovered slightly, he was taken to Tbilisi and dumped near the Old Tbilisi district, however several minutes after being dropped off he was detained for possession and use of drugs. A police search of Koberidze’s body supposedly uncovered eight grams of marijuana in his pocket. 

Koberidze was sentenced to imprisonment but was only released after the Georgian Dream coalition came to power in October 2012. 

One of the alleged offenders Samushia has been detained while the three other former officials are wanted by police.

If found guilty of the charges, the four ex-officials face up to 17 years behind bars.