Rebel Veterans Accuse Authorities in Provoking Mutiny
(Tbilisi. April 3, 2003. Civil Georgia) – In the district court today participants of the March 23-24 mutiny, when former servicemen of National Guard seized the military base in Tbilisi, accused the State, Defense and Interior Ministers for provoking mutiny.
The district court rejected mutineers’ appeal to cancel a lower court’s decision to keep them in jail for three months pending investigation, which caused the veterans’ outcry.
“This is a political decision. Narchemashvili [Interior Minister], Jorbenadze [State Minister], Tevzadze [Defense Minister] provoked this mutiny,” veterans shout after the judge announced decision, which keeps them in jail.
19 participants of the mutiny, which seized the military base in Tbilisi surrendered police on March 24. 4 of them were released.
15 former servicemen of the National Guard are charged for seizing facility of vital importance.
Georgian leadership says “certain forces” stood behind the mutiny, aiming at destabilizing situation in the country, while the veterans of the National Guard claim social hardship triggered their desperate move.
President Shevardnadze says mutiny participants should be “severely punished and there will be no pardoning.”
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
