Zviad Maisashvili

Apprehended

Tortured

Violence

Prisoner

Z. Maisashvili

Zviad
Maisashvili

Zviad Maisashvili, a 23-year-old student, became a symbol of police brutality during pro-European demonstrations in Tbilisi. Video footage captured on November 30th shows police officers brutally beating Maisashvili.

«Policemen were hitting me from all sides, and after that, I passed out.»

Maisashvili, along with his brother Giorgi, joined the protests against the Georgian government's decision to postpone negotiations for EU membership. During the demonstrations, which began on November 28th, police attempted to disperse the crowd using violent methods. Maisashvili was caught in a clash with special forces near Rustaveli Theatre. The footage shows him being kicked in the face while he was already down and lying on the ground.

«As soon as I took a few steps, a policeman came towards me and hit me, knocking me down. Within seconds, other policemen were around me and kicking me. I was shouting, 'Don't hit me,' but they kept hitting me, and I passed out. I don't remember anything else.»

Maisashvili suffered a concussion and multiple fractures of the nasal septum. His brother, Giorgi, was detained, transferred to the Kutaisi temporary detention center, and sentenced to 6 days of administrative detention. Zviad, on the other hand, was not arrested after the brutal beating.

«This hasn't affected me negatively; I'm determined. I will recover and go back to the protests. It also helps that people are writing to me and saying that more people went to the protests because of me. This incident has given me even more motivation. »

Human rights organizations and the Public Defender of Georgia called the police actions "inhuman and degrading treatment." Human rights defenders expressed concern about the disproportionate use of force by the police during the demonstrations. The police were accused of obstructing media work and deliberately targeting journalists. The Public Defender's office condemned the "criminal acts of inhuman and degrading treatment and targeted persecution of peaceful demonstrators."

«That boy lying in the street, with long hair and a mustache, being kicked in the face by a policeman in black, that's my son. I just saw the footage. They weren't showing it to me, they were trying to protect me »
—Elene Janjalia (Zviad and Giorgi's Mother)

Notably, the Ministry of Internal Affairs' statement is another attempt to shift the blame onto the protesters. The agency stated that the demonstrators violated the norms established by the Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations and physically resisted law enforcement officers.

Zviad Maisashvili himself drew a parallel between his experience and that of his uncle, politician Gia Maisashvili, who was injured during protests in 2009. He stated that the system has not changed and the fight against it continues

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