Davit Gogilashvili: "A riot police officer kicked me in the face and broke my nose — They took me to the bathroom and gave me toilet paper to stop the bleeding"
"A riot police officer kicked me in the face and broke my nose. Blood was clotting from my nose, and I thought I wouldn't survive. They even told me that if I came to the protest again, I wouldn’t make it," stated Davit Gogilashvili, who was detained during a protest on Rustaveli Avenue. He made this statement during his court hearing.
Gogilashvili emphasized that he was subjected to torture and inhumane treatment.
"While drafting the protocol, they called someone to ask what to charge me with. The detaining officers didn’t even know, and over the phone, they were told to write 'disobedience.' Near the Supreme Court area, I bought a pastry and was heading home with friends when the crowd started running. We couldn’t escape due to the stampede and stopped. We asked riot police to let us through since we were leaving, and they did. But then Tato Kelbakiani was attacked. It’s hard to recall… We got scared and ran.
On Ukrainka Street, they beat me. I raised my hands to show that I wasn’t doing anything wrong and wasn’t resisting, but once out of the cameras’ view, the torture began. I was punched in the face, which shocked me. They searched me, took my phone, robbed me, and then beat me even more brutally. A riot police officer kicked me in the face, breaking my nose. Blood was streaming out, and I thought I wouldn’t survive. They told me if I came to the protest again, I wouldn’t make it out alive. I lost my sense of time and space. The officer used a technique banned even in no-rules fights. I was kicked in the head, causing a concussion.
They dragged me to the bathroom, forced me to wash my face, and tried to stop the bleeding. They handed me toilet paper and said, ‘Stop the bleeding with this.’ I asked to make a phone call and for medical help. Three hours later, they called my father.
I spent 9 hours in a car before being taken to the Mtskheta police department. One of the officers, who is here today as a witness, pushed the car seat backward, crushing me in the confined space the entire time. Later, they took me to the hospital, where I underwent surgery," Gogilashvili testified.
In response, Judge Nino Enukidze stated: "Violence has no justification, but this court is considering the case of Gogilashvili's alleged administrative offense. What he described falls under the jurisdiction of the Special Investigation Service."
For reference, Davit Gogilashvili is charged under Article 173 of the Administrative Offenses Code, which refers to disobedience of police orders.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that representatives of the diplomatic corps from the Czech Republic, the EU, Estonia, Britain, the Netherlands, and Denmark attended Gogilashvili's hearing.
