A Russia-like crackdown has jailed dozens in Georgia

Tbilisi, Georgia — 

Jailed writer Mzia Amaghlobeli gets weaker each time arsenic her hunger onslaught has reached 3 weeks successful Rustavi, a municipality adjacent the Georgian superior of Tbilisi, her lawyer says.

Now the 49-year-old is having trouble walking the abbreviated region from her compartment to the country wherever they usually meet, and quality rights officials, colleagues and household fearfulness for her life.

Amaghlobeli was arrested Jan. 12 during an anti-government protestation successful the coastal metropolis of Batumi, 1 of implicit 40 radical successful custody connected transgression charges from a bid of demonstrations that person deed the South Caucasus federation of 3.7 cardinal successful caller months.

The governmental turmoil follows a parliamentary predetermination that was won by the ruling Georgian Dream party, though its opponents allege the ballot was rigged.

Its result pushed Georgia further into Russia's orbit of influence. Georgia aspired to articulation the European Union, but the enactment suspended accession talks with the bloc aft the election.

As it sought to cement its grip connected power, Georgian Dream has cracked down connected state of assembly and look successful what the absorption says is akin to President Vladimir Putin's actions successful neighboring Russia, its erstwhile imperial ruler.

Accusations of fomenting revolution

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze defended the actions of his government, accusing the protesters of seeking "to inflict harm connected the state” and trying to signifier a gyration akin to the uprising successful Ukraine successful 2014 that ousted a pro-Kremlin leader.

Georgian Dream past twelvemonth adopted a bid of laws akin to ones successful Russia imposing restrictions connected rights groups and media outlets and severely curtailing LGBTQ+ rights. Those laws, condemned by the EU, besides drew protests.

Amaghlobeli, laminitis of 2 salient autarkic media outlets successful Georgia, faces charges of assaulting a constabulary officer, with a imaginable situation condemnation of up to 7 years.

Many of those detained by constabulary person reported being abused physically and verbally by constabulary oregon portion successful detention. International quality rights groups are sounding the alarm.

“All of that paints a representation of an assertive run to halt these demonstrations of which the ample bulk are reported to person been peaceful,” Alice Jill Edwards, the U.N. peculiar rapporteur connected torture and different cruel, inhuman oregon degrading attraction oregon punishment, told The Associated Press.

Allegations of maltreatment successful custody

A video released by the media showed Amaghlobeli slapping Batumi's constabulary main successful the protest. Witnesses and her lawyers accidental constabulary physically and verbally abused her beforehand, and the slap was her absorption to it.

The maltreatment continued portion successful custody, erstwhile the constabulary main “spat successful Mzia’s look and denied her entree to drinking h2o oregon utilizing the toilet,” her lawyer, Juba Sikharulidze, told AP.

Authorities were investigating the accusations, the lawyer said. The Interior Ministry has not responded to an AP petition for comment.

Kobakhidze has said authorities would analyse immoderate excessive usage of force, but successful Amaghlobeli’s case, her actions came “in beforehand of cameras.”

“This transgression is perfectly clear,” the premier curate said.

Amaghlobeli, who founded the autarkic media sites Batumelebi and Netgazeti, began a hunger onslaught successful protest, and present Georgian and Western rights advocates accidental her beingness is successful danger.

Michael O’Flaherty, the Council of Europe’s commissioner for quality rights, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that Amaghlobeli’s concern “requires urgent action.”

“This is not conscionable a substance of state and imprisonment – this is simply a substance of beingness and death. And I precise overmuch anticipation that the authorities volition enactment with the indispensable velocity successful this highly hard situation,” O’Flaherty was quoted by the outlet arsenic saying.

Amaghlobeli's apprehension has had a chilling effect connected different journalists, said Nestan Tsetskhladze, exertion of Netgazeti.

“If this is however they are treating the laminitis of the astir salient autarkic media, a manager and media manager who is escaped from immoderate governmental influences and influential groups, others tin beryllium treated the aforesaid mode oregon adjacent worse,” Tsetskhladze told AP.

Prominent histrion sees a Kafkaesque scene

Another salient Georgian jailed for taking portion successful protests is Andro Chichinadze, a theatre and movie actor. Chichinazde, 28, actively participated successful the protests that reignited successful November.

Police raided his location and arrested him Dec. 5, and helium faces charges of “participating successful radical violence,” punishable by up to 9 years successful prison.

His lawyers accidental prosecutors person videos of Chichinadze swinging a instrumentality and throwing a bottle, which they allege was hurled astatine him by police. They besides accidental determination is nary grounds helium deed anyone and nary 1 has travel guardant arsenic a unfortunate of his alleged violence.

Chichinadze denied the accusations. At a pre-trial detention hearing, helium compared himself to a “Kafka quality who is connected proceedings and could not fig retired what is happening to him.”

His mother, Lika Guntsadze, called the lawsuit against her lad “absurd, conscionable absurd” successful an interrogation with AP.

Plans for harsher penalties

More arrests — truthful acold connected petty "administrative" charges punishable by fines oregon abbreviated stints successful jailhouse — took spot implicit the weekend, during continued demonstrations successful Tbilisi. On Monday, constabulary said a full of 31 radical had been detained.

According to media reports, immoderate were released soon afterward. Many reported carnal maltreatment by constabulary some during their apprehension and aft being taken into constabulary vans, according to the bureau of Georgia's Public Defender, a quality rights ombudsman elected by parliament.

Georgian Dream announced plans Monday to follow harsher punishment for some transgression and administrative offenses that protesters tin beryllium accused of, including accrued jailhouse time, higher fines and situation terms.

Eka Gigauri, enforcement manager of Transparency International Georgia, told AP she believed the authorities was “using the Russian and Belarusian playbook” successful targeting authorities opponents.

“There is thing caller successful however they onslaught the civic activists,” she said. “This was happening successful Russia years ago.”

The parent of Andro Chichinadze, the histrion who was arrested, echoed this sentiment, successful describing the crackdown that followed Georgia's aspirations to articulation the EU.

“We chose Europe and were taken to Russia,” Lika Guntsadze said.