**Former Ministry Employee Claims Abuse by MIA Officials**
A former employee of the Georgian Ministry of Defense is accusing officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of psychological and physical abuse. Giorgi Kukhaleishvili, a 2008 war veteran, says he was forced to make false statements about an attack on two journalists.
Kukhaleishvili claims that MIA officials tried to get him to say that the opposition was behind the attack on TV Pirveli journalist Maka Chikhladze and cameraman Giorgi Shetsiruli. The journalists were violently attacked by masked men on December 8 during a protest.
**Details of Abuse**
Kukhaleishvili says he was abducted, taken to a police parking lot, and subjected to abuse. He claims that officials took his photos, verbally assaulted him, and pressured him to confess to the attacks on the journalists.
The MIA allegedly wanted Kukhaleishvili to say that the opposition was involved in the attack and not the government-paid thugs known as “titushky.” When he refused, Kukhaleishvili was arrested and later released after seven days in custody.
**Concerns about Rights Violations**
Kukhaleishvili’s lawyer says his rights were violated because his phone was taken without a valid reason. The phone had been used to post content on social media, but Kukhaleishvili did not have access to it while in detention.
This is the second case of a detained protester being pressured to incriminate opposition representatives by authorities. Revaz Kiknadze, an activist who was detained on December 6, had declared a hunger strike over similar allegations.
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