Police Release More Tapes on Burjanadze’s Party Activists

The Interior Ministry released on March 25 three separate video tapes, which the ministry claims, implicate Nino Burjanadze’s party activists – Zurab Avaliani, Davit Gogrochadze and Roin Bugashvili in criminal actions related with “plans to use arm” and “provoking civil war.”

In the first footage four men are seen sitting at a table in what appears to be a restaurant room. Two men are purportedly Zurab Avaliani and Davit Gogrochadze, activists from the Democratic Movement–United Georgia (DMUG) party’s Batumi headquarters. Two other men’s faces are deliberately blurred on the tape. According to the voices heard on the tape (it is not clearly visible who is speaking) discussion is about how many supporters will be possible to mobilize. One voice is heard saying: “We may need to fire shots.”

In the second footage a man, purportedly an activist from DMUG’s Batumi office, is seen along with two other men with blurred faces on the tape, checking various types of firearms including assault rifle and sniper rifle.

In the third video tape a man, purportedly Roin Bugashvili, is seen talking with several persons – one of them was recording the conversation apparently with body-worn covert camera. The Interior Ministry said the conversation was taped in DMUG’s Isani-Samgori district office in Tbilisi. The man, claimed to be Bugashvili, tells interlocutors about provoking disorders and says: “Civil war is in our interests; in particular in the interest of Nino’s people… Do you know what kind of people comes here [apparently referring to the party office]? They all say we should overthrow Misha; they wish war to be launched, saying they have debt and they would raid pawnshops. Can you imagine what type of people is coming here?” Then one person in the room asks: “Do you accept such kind of people [in party membership]?” The man, purportedly Bugashvili responds: “Nino needs those people… Can you imagine how these people hate Misha? They are ready to start war just to see Misha going away.” The police said Bugashvili served in the Interior Ministry till mid-2008.

Nino Burjanadze said in a live interview with the public TV’s late night talk show, First Topic, on March 24, that she would be the first “to demand punishment of criminals – no matter of their party affiliation – if firm evidence are put forth proving their guilt.” She, however, said that the evidence provided by the investigation needed a thorough, independent examination to find out in what circumstances they were produced.

Burjanadze also did not rule out possibility that some of the detainees from her party were “infiltrators,” deliberately sent by the law enforcement agencies for provocative actions.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)