søndag 23. september 2012

Georgian Police - for the government or for the people?

Georgian Police Crossing Lines

I have written about the torture of prisoners in Georgia. Unfortunately this wonderful country with its warm and delightful people has other major issus as well. Again, now, at the protests of this prison torture, the georgian police has started beating demonstrators, but it is old news, it was done in grand scale 26th May 2011 and 3rd January 2011 as well. The Georgian police is violent, it even has killed.

Prison guards are suspended from their jobs in Georgia now, and replaced by police, since they have tortured prisoners in the Georgian jails. But is this a reason for the prisoners to feel safe now? My wife, which is Georgian, watched online news this morning, and there we saw photos, and heard, prisoners calling out of the jail: "are the students not coming today!", with fear in their voices, it was clear to us, that they wanted visitors at the jails, student protesters outside, to feel a little bit more safe.

The answer is clearly NO! I can quote Amnesty International or Human Rigths Watch, there is plenty of article to back my claims on the internet, but not even that is necessary. As the picture I have posted, there are alot of photografs showing the abuse the Georgian police puts on their citizens, when they protest. Georgian police is not there to protect its citisens, it is there to carry out the cruelty Misha, their president, decides to impose on its people.

Also a problem is journalists safety and photografers rights in this country, but that claims its own blogpost itself. My point is only, that even though journalists and photografers are in danger in this country, also beeing abused, basicly haven a work-block, there still comes articles and pictures. As for mentioned 26th of May 2011 f.ex. many cameras was stolen by police, many pictures deleted and the photojournalists beaten as well. Luckily some pictures came out and some journalists and photografers still took the chance, so we have the evidence that the Georgian police is brutal.

 It is sad that a country with so much potential has such a long way to go, when it comes to freedom and human rights. The break new lines constantly, f.ex. there is also picture evidence of police hitting a woman in the face on the authorized protests of 3rd January 2011.

Alot could be mentioned, the police is often brutal, and I have read stories how a russian relative of the opposition leader Nino Burdjanadze needed medical attention twice after these encounters. But I want to limit myself to highlight, because it is more then enough evidence to conclude, that the police was brutal on the protests 3rd January 2011 by veteran georgian fighters, which was approved demonstrations, and on 26yh may 2011 which was approved opposition demonstrations, and this week, at the students protests. All these three occations, the police has used brutality and unnecessary force. Beating demonstrators to blood. In some cases, also proven by pictures and statement, demonstrators that are retrackting or even is tied up, or already laying on the streets.

I have read alot two newspapers from Georgia, Georgian Journal and Georgia Today. There has been articles showing how the police is training, with pictures too, at airfields, on how to approch demonstrators, not as in west to push them back, but to make a cubical square around them, blocking them in, moving in on them and beating them. SCARY! But it was exactly that tactic that was used on 26th May 2011. However then they came from different streets, but didn't think about blocking "house walls". So several persons escaped into buildings and up on the roofs on rustavelli street, back then. And two persons was found death. The police followed them, beat them and in this case even killed two. Georgian police is dangerous.

This time, all seemed to be peaceful. I thought in 2012, all of georgia lined behind the protest, and election to come, that the police would use more gracefullness. My wish, however, didn't come true. I read today on Democracy and Freedom Watch, and have talked to friends in Tbilisi, that saturday 22nd September 2012 the police used force, on students, beating them. Also arresting of course. One student, because he was behind the organization, was even hunted down and arrested, far from the demonstrations, going about his normal saturday business.

Also for a later post of course, because it is a horrible case in itself, and big, is the court system. But just to mention, already students are arrested, and in the Undemocratic Dictatorship of Georgia, they were quickly without defense put in front of a pro-government judge, and sentenced the same day as arrested till 40 days in prison, based on the statement by police officer that they insulted him. This is not freedom, this is not democracy, this is a policestate, a dictatorship, Georgia must fix more then the torture of prisoners in jail, the police must be just, there to protect the people and independent! I hope for a better future for Georgia, the wonderful people of this country deserves it!

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