The detention of Megi (Irma) Diasamidze is political. Unfortunately, it seems that the “top minds” of Georgian Dream, who do not particularly stand out for their intelligence, decided that a new “prisoner of conscience” would benefit their pre-election campaign. Megi herself is strong and resilient and emphasizes that she is obviously innocent, – this was stated by Megi Diasamidze’s lawyer, Shota Tutberidze, to InterpressNews during a protest on Melikishvili Avenue.
The lawyer is not certain that Megi Diasamidze is being accused of writing on an election poster.
He noted that they will clarify the real reason for her detention. Shota Tutberidze also spoke about the details of Diasamidze’s detention and said that law enforcement carried out a “ridiculous special operation” to arrest her.
“First of all, it should be noted that, just as it is unknown to Megi Diasamidze, it is also unknown to us what the exact grounds for her detention are. At no point, neither at the moment of detention nor afterward, was any document given to her or was she explained the reason for her arrest – she was simply taken away.
The abduction occurred through a very ridiculous ‘special operation.’ Megi was traveling to the Adjara region, home, when the minibus she was in supposedly broke down. Another minibus arrived, and the driver told them to get in. Megi was seated next to the driver because there was supposedly no other space. Later, this new minibus stopped in a forested area near Lanchkhuti, where the road goes through an uninhabited area. There, the patrol stopped the vehicle, first scolding the driver for an alleged violation, and then ordered the minibus to be surrounded. The first thing they did was take Megi’s phone and told her to get out of the minibus, after which she ended up in a police vehicle.
For 9 hours, her hands were cuffed behind her back, which is equivalent to torture and inhuman treatment. Despite her requests to loosen the cuffs a little or move them to the front, since prolonged use of handcuffs usually causes pressure on the hands, this was not done. Even this morning, when I met with her, the marks from the handcuffs were visible on her hands. The criminals in police uniforms cynically told her, ‘Move less, and it will hurt less.’”
He added that Megi Diasamidze was allowed to contact a lawyer in the Lanchkhuti police station only when a group was mobilized from Tbilisi to bring her there; before that, she had no opportunity to call a lawyer.
For reference, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that, as part of the investigation into events on Melikishvili Avenue on September 8–9 of this year, three people were detained, including Megi (Irma) Diasamidze. According to the ministry, Diasamidze damaged the election banner of the Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia candidate for Tbilisi mayor on Melikishvili Avenue.
Lawyer: Megi Diasamidze had her hands cuffed behind her back for 9 hours, which is equivalent to torture and inhuman treatment – uniformed police criminals cynically told her, “move less and it will hurt less”
