The News in Brief
Friday, November 8
By Liza Mchedlidze
June 20 protests victim Mako Gomuri: ‘I was asked by the investigation if the eye I lost was healthy’
Mako Gomuri, a victim who lost an eye to June 20 protests and is still not acknowledged as a victim by the court, publishes a status on Facebook, saying that she was contacted by the investigation.
“Four months have passed, who cares about the examination report when the investigation has not even been launched? I got contacted by the investigation today and they asked me if the eye I lost was healthy and if I had problems with it before losing it...Imagine investigation not coming up with any other question and it’s been four months. What if I was -30 nearsighted? Would it qualify as an eye ‘worth losing’? I think they are sure that I only lost my eyesight and not my eye!”
Tbilisi City Court refused to acknowledge Mako Gomuri and 15 other persons as victims on October 29.
Group of students in Batumi demanded restrictions against gambling
A group of 20 students in Batumi demanded restrictions against gambling. ‘Gambling Kills’ protesters gathered in front of the Hilton Hotel where the Georgian Defence and Security conference is being held. Students state they want to reach out to politicians attending the conference.
Students demand the government to raise the age limit on gambling to over 25 and to also forbid any kind of advertisement of gambling. They also want gambling games of system-electronic form to be regulated with restrictions.
Students want the government to present a plan of prevention of gambling and allocate funds for prevention programs for the treatment of patients with HL, including the hotline urgently.
Besides, the protesters demanded that the government submit a long-term plan for the task of boosting tourism, within which casinos would be placed in special tourism zones.
“We demand Ludomania be declared as an addiction, as it is in the case of drug addiction. Special treatment centers should be opened and we should help these people overcome this addiction and reduce suicide rates. We had a case in Batumi too recently, a 23-year-old young man died,” said Mate Tsenteradze, a freshman at the Faculty of Law.
According to the rally participants, they are collecting citizens' signatures demanding restrictions on gambling.
State Security Service of Georgia confirms the detention of 28-year-old Zaqro Butkhuzi for ‘illegally crossing the border’
Representatives of the occupation forces detained Zakro Butkhuzi, a 28-year-old resident of the village of Kveshi in the Gori district, near the dividing line.
“We confirm the detention of one person for ‘illegally crossing the border’. The hotline is working and the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia is informed.” State Security Service of Georgia’s press service told Radio Tavisupleba.
According to InterPressNews, family members of Zakro Butkhuzi say that he was in a garden on the outskirts of the village. The land borders the village of Zemo Asevi on the occupied territory.
Vakhtang Gomelauri states that he carried out the order for a special operation to be held without wounding and liquidation verbally, without filling out any document
The Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri said that the Special Operations Department (SOD) was instructed that the special operation in Pankisi should have been carried out without wounding or liquidating detainees.
It is stated in the Gomelauri interrogation protocol released by the Human Rights and Training Monitoring Center. According to the protocol, Gomelauri clarifies that the assignment was verbally directed to the Chief of the SOD and no documents were filled out.
Also, Gomelauri said that on December 26, the day of the special operation in Pankisi, he was not in Duisi, and he was receiving information from the head of the Counterterrorism Center, Irakli Chimakadze and his deputy, Soso Gogashvili. It should be noted that according to the Gogashvili's interview report, He was not present at the site of the special operation himself and Chimakadze provided information about the operation.
“V. Gomelauri explained that he had verbally indicated to the SOD chief that the operation had to be carried out safely, that no injuries or liquidation of the detainees should have taken place. According to him, the operation should have taken place on the morning of December 26. V. Gomelauri notes that on December 26 he was not in Duisi, he had information about the special operation from I. Gogashvili and Chimakadze. In addition, the Chief of the SOD provided oral information after the operation was completed” said the Gomelauri interview report.
As for the former deputy head of the State Security Service, Soso Gogashvili, he notes that "he was not in Duisi, he was in Tbilisi, in his office on December 26, 2017, and he was receiving information from Irakli Chimakadze about the special operation."
June 20 protests victim Mako Gomuri: ‘I was asked by the investigation if the eye I lost was healthy’
Mako Gomuri, a victim who lost an eye to June 20 protests and is still not acknowledged as a victim by the court, publishes a status on Facebook, saying that she was contacted by the investigation.
“Four months have passed, who cares about the examination report when the investigation has not even been launched? I got contacted by the investigation today and they asked me if the eye I lost was healthy and if I had problems with it before losing it...Imagine investigation not coming up with any other question and it’s been four months. What if I was -30 nearsighted? Would it qualify as an eye ‘worth losing’? I think they are sure that I only lost my eyesight and not my eye!”
Tbilisi City Court refused to acknowledge Mako Gomuri and 15 other persons as victims on October 29.
Group of students in Batumi demanded restrictions against gambling
A group of 20 students in Batumi demanded restrictions against gambling. ‘Gambling Kills’ protesters gathered in front of the Hilton Hotel where the Georgian Defence and Security conference is being held. Students state they want to reach out to politicians attending the conference.
Students demand the government to raise the age limit on gambling to over 25 and to also forbid any kind of advertisement of gambling. They also want gambling games of system-electronic form to be regulated with restrictions.
Students want the government to present a plan of prevention of gambling and allocate funds for prevention programs for the treatment of patients with HL, including the hotline urgently.
Besides, the protesters demanded that the government submit a long-term plan for the task of boosting tourism, within which casinos would be placed in special tourism zones.
“We demand Ludomania be declared as an addiction, as it is in the case of drug addiction. Special treatment centers should be opened and we should help these people overcome this addiction and reduce suicide rates. We had a case in Batumi too recently, a 23-year-old young man died,” said Mate Tsenteradze, a freshman at the Faculty of Law.
According to the rally participants, they are collecting citizens' signatures demanding restrictions on gambling.
State Security Service of Georgia confirms the detention of 28-year-old Zaqro Butkhuzi for ‘illegally crossing the border’
Representatives of the occupation forces detained Zakro Butkhuzi, a 28-year-old resident of the village of Kveshi in the Gori district, near the dividing line.
“We confirm the detention of one person for ‘illegally crossing the border’. The hotline is working and the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia is informed.” State Security Service of Georgia’s press service told Radio Tavisupleba.
According to InterPressNews, family members of Zakro Butkhuzi say that he was in a garden on the outskirts of the village. The land borders the village of Zemo Asevi on the occupied territory.
Vakhtang Gomelauri states that he carried out the order for a special operation to be held without wounding and liquidation verbally, without filling out any document
The Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri said that the Special Operations Department (SOD) was instructed that the special operation in Pankisi should have been carried out without wounding or liquidating detainees.
It is stated in the Gomelauri interrogation protocol released by the Human Rights and Training Monitoring Center. According to the protocol, Gomelauri clarifies that the assignment was verbally directed to the Chief of the SOD and no documents were filled out.
Also, Gomelauri said that on December 26, the day of the special operation in Pankisi, he was not in Duisi, and he was receiving information from the head of the Counterterrorism Center, Irakli Chimakadze and his deputy, Soso Gogashvili. It should be noted that according to the Gogashvili's interview report, He was not present at the site of the special operation himself and Chimakadze provided information about the operation.
“V. Gomelauri explained that he had verbally indicated to the SOD chief that the operation had to be carried out safely, that no injuries or liquidation of the detainees should have taken place. According to him, the operation should have taken place on the morning of December 26. V. Gomelauri notes that on December 26 he was not in Duisi, he had information about the special operation from I. Gogashvili and Chimakadze. In addition, the Chief of the SOD provided oral information after the operation was completed” said the Gomelauri interview report.
As for the former deputy head of the State Security Service, Soso Gogashvili, he notes that "he was not in Duisi, he was in Tbilisi, in his office on December 26, 2017, and he was receiving information from Irakli Chimakadze about the special operation."