On the night of May 10, a video went viral on social media causing massive public outcry, showing a citizen being severely beaten in his car by a group of police in the presence of his wife. The incident which highlights another case of police brutality, happened in Tbilisi, on Leonidze Street.
In a disturbing incident captured on video, a man was brutally assaulted by a group of police officers as he sat in his car with his wife beside him. The incident occurred as the man up was driving up a street in central Tbilisi and encountered a police bus moving in the opposite direction on the one-way street. According to the witnesses to the incident, when the man allegedly refused to yield to the bus, several officers got out and physically assaulted him, relentlessly punching and kicking him, targeting his head. The man’s wife witnessed the brutal attack from the front seat of the car.
The Special Investigative Service said on May 11 that it had opened an investigation under Article 333 (3b) of the Criminal Code, which deals with exceeding official authority by using force or a weapon.
On May 11, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs issued a statement about the incident, claiming that the man was drunk and “hindered movement of police bus which was on its way to fulfill official duties.” The MIA said the incident led to a “confrontation,” but made no mention of police brutality.
Amidst the relentless rallies against the Foreign Agents’ law there intensified cases of brutal physical attacks and intimidation, as well as an orchestrated campaign of terror against civil society activists, opposition politicians, people involved in protests, and, as recent incidents have shown, even anyone who happens to run into the police.
NOTE: This news was updated on May 11, at 14:33 to include MIA’s statement.
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