Protester says he was severely beaten by police in demonstration earlier in December

Bilal Duishvili a 21-year-old student from Pankisi – a region primarily inhabited by Kists, a Chechen sub-ethnos – was severely beaten by law enforcement officers on 4 December during the anti-government demonstrations, local rights group Social Justice Centre reported. Duishvili’s nose was broken, he had a concussion, and multiple bruises.

His lawyer Mariam Kvelashvili told Publika that Duishvili was arrested and beaten when the police began to disperse the demonstration and he tried to leave the protest site.

According to Kvelashvili, Duishvili was surrounded by riot police near the Biltmore hotel.

‘He was arrested, the riot police were beating him, and we have a short video of how they took him away. They took him away as soon as they put him in the police van. He says the police officers got into the car and beat him. They took his phone and wallet’, she said.

According to the Kvelashvili, Duishvili told them that immediately after being taken to the police station, police took him into the bathroom ‘to wash off the blood’.

Duishvili’s administrative case has been scheduled for trial on 27 January.

He is charged with petty hooliganism and disobedience of police requests.

According to Kvelashvili, Duishvili has also appealed to the Special Investigation Service, which has launched an investigation and given the status of a victim.