On 20 December 2021, Giorgi Arobelidze, the founder and journalist of the online platform “Mautskebeli” [Broadcaster], and Rati Ratiani, a journalist with Adjara TV and Radio of the Public Broadcaster, were reportedly beaten at the 6th police station in Batumi [1]. According to the journalists, they were administratively detained at around 2am on 17 December. Police officers physically assaulted them before the arrest. According to Giorgi Arobelidze, they asked the police officers to stop the violence against a sober citizen when the police officers physically assaulted them and indirectly asked them to change their testimony.
It is known that the investigation of the case was initiated by the State Inspector Service on the grounds of violent abuse of official authority by individual officials in accordance with Part 3 Section b of Article 333 of the Criminal Code of Georgia. The detainees were released by the Batumi City Court on Saturday, 18 December. The hearing is scheduled for Friday 24 December.
The Media Advocacy Coalition believes that under the conditions of a fair and objective investigation, the details of the abuse of authority by law enforcement officials should be established and an appropriate response should be made.
The Coalition calls on the State Inspector Service to inform the public about the progress of the investigation, taking into account the public interest.
