Conservative Party Says its Office in Telavi ‘Raided’

Opposition Conservative Party said its local office in the town of Telavi in eastern region of Kakheti was “raided” and several opposition activists beaten by the police on September 9, when President Saakashvili was visiting the town.

A local radio station, Hereti, reported that three activists from the Conservative Party – Giorgi Mosiashvili, Erekle Tsotsanidze and Aleko Taliuri and a local activist from opposition New Rights Party, Archil Jorjadze, who was in the Conservative Party’s office at the time, were physically assaulted.

Local police chief, Shota Bezhanishvili, has denied any police involvement and told the radio station that he was not even aware that reported incident.

Archil Jorjadze of the New Rights Party told Civil.Ge on phone that local activists from various opposition parties, also including from Republican Party, – total of seven men – were in the office at the time of “raid”. He said about dozen of police officers “burst into the office” after the activists started playing a song of singer and anti-government activist Giorgi Gachechiladze (with nickname Ucnobi) through large loudspeaker system at the time when President Saakashvili was in the local municipality building, located close to the Conservative Party’s Office.

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