By M10News International Desk
A Georgian protester has told a court he was threatened with sexual violence and being buried alive while in police custody in Tbilisi.
Rezo Kiknadze, 27, was detained during demonstrations against the Georgian Dream government’s decision to suspend its bid for European Union membership.
He is one of dozens of protesters alleging inhumane treatment and violent threats during arrests in recent months.
At a court hearing last week, Kiknadze recounted how officers told him he would be buried alive if he refused to sign a statement prepared for him.
‘Those standing by the [police] car window started speaking loudly so I could hear, “The tractor is already here, digging the pit, and if he doesn’t write it, let’s bury him alive”,’ he told the court.
He added: ‘One of them leaned into the car and said, “Hey boy, write what they are telling you, or else this is what awaits you”.’
The activist said he was then taken to Tbilisi’s Ortachala district, where police threatened him with sexual assault.
According to him, one officer suggested forcing him onto an enema tube or a Champagne bottle.
Another allegedly responded: ‘He might soil himself, it is a dirty job, so let’s put on gloves.’
Kiknadze has since been charged with participating in group violence, an offence that carries a prison term of four to six years.
He was detained while returning from a medical appointment by metro, he told the court.
Two men in black clothing allegedly stopped him inside the station, handcuffed him, and drove him away in a car.
He said he was taken to Lisi Lake, northwest of the capital, where officers pressured him to give false testimony against opposition politicians.
The arrest came amid widespread protests following prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement last November that Georgia would halt EU accession talks until 2028.
The move followed the European Parliament’s rejection of the country’s October 26 election results.
Kobakhidze accused the European Parliament and some European leaders of “blackmail” in their dealings with Tbilisi.
Since then, daily protests have swept Georgia, with arrests ranging from several hundred to thousands of demonstrators.
Civil Georgia, an NGO, has warned that systematic repression is being carried out both by police and by government-linked groups.
It said activists were being attacked not only during the dispersal of rallies but also in their homes and workplaces.
At least 11 opposition figures have been beaten this year alone, the organisation reported.
The Public Defender’s office has also found that 85% of protesters detained between 28 November and 6 December last year were subjected to physical abuse.
Editing by M10News International Desk | Contact: international@m10news.com
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