Beaten, detained protesters receive verbal warnings from judges

Yesterday, 21-year-old Bilal Duishvili, who was arrested and beaten at a pro-European rally on 4 December, was given a verbal warning by Judge Zviad Tsekvava, local media reported. He was charged with petty hooliganism and disobeying police orders.

On the same day, Tbilisi City Court Judge Nino Enukidze found 19-year-old Sandro Bukia, who was arrested near Rustaveli metro station on 7 December, guilty of disobeying a police officer and issued him a verbal warning.

When Bukia was arrested, his mother told the riot police that her son had epilepsy, but they ignored her and arrested the boy anyway. Bukia’s relatives told the media that the young man was also severely beaten by law enforcement officers.

Since the court hearings of those arrested during the protests began, only a few of them have been given verbal warnings, while have been fined and sent to prison for a few days.