Georgian Citizen Dies in Occupied Gali Due to Brutal Beating by Local Militia
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, December 11, 2023
According to the "For Abkhazia" movement, Georgian citizenTemur Karbaia died after being beaten by local militia in the Russian-occupied Gali. The State Security Service of Georgia reports that representatives of the occupation regime confirmed Karbaia's death but did not acknowledge the attempted illegal arrest of the individual in question.
"This is another victim of the occupation regime. According to our information, the so-called militia arrested this person, subjected him to severe beatings. Later, when they realized he was on the verge of death, they attempted to save him by taking him to Sokhumi. Unfortunately, he did not survive," said Nodia, a member of the "For Abkhazia" movement.
According to RFE/RL, the daughter-in-law of the deceased, who resides with her family in Zugdidi, stated that a few days ago, Temur Karbaia was arrested by a so-called police officer in the occupied city of Gali and subjected to physical assault.
Later, Karbaia was taken to the hospital, where he died on the night of December 9.
According to the family, the deceased had multiple injuries on his body, including bruises and fractures.
"He has injuries everywhere. He is destroyed; his ribs, sides, and bones are broken. The incident occurred yesterday. He was in a coma after that and died last night in the hospital. We don't know anything else yet. I don't know if an autopsy was conducted on the body or not, and if an investigation has been started, we don't know that either. He was walking down the street and was arrested. We only know this. Three people were beating him," said the wife of Temur Karbaia's brother to RFE/RL.
The State Security Service of Georgia has responded to the killing of a Georgian citizen in the Russian-occupied Gali region, announcing that the Georgian side has activated a hotline with the involvement of the European Union Monitoring Mission.
"In connection with the mentioned incident, a hotline involving the EU monitoring mission was activated. According to information shared via the hotline, representatives of the occupation regime confirmed the death of the Georgian citizen but did not confirm the attempt to illegally arrest the individual in question.
As the events unfolded within the depths of the occupied territory, specifically in the occupied city of Gali, the ongoing process involves researching additional information," as per the statement from the State Security Service.
President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili also responded to the killing of Temur Karbaia and published a statement on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
"The brutal beating by local militia resulting in the death of another Georgian citizen, Teymur Karbaia, in occupied Abkhazia is a tragic reminder of the blatant violations of elementary Human rights in the territories occupied by Russia," Zourabichvili wrote.
The Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Shalva Papuashvili, addressed the killing of a Georgian citizen, stating that the incident once again emphasizes the importance of ending the occupation promptly.
Another tragic incident has occurred, once again underscoring the severity of the occupation. On this Day of Human Rights Protection, it is crucial to recognize that occupation not only violates the territorial integrity of Georgia but, above all, tramples on human rights in the regions under occupation.
This is an area that, among others, has been recognized by the Strasbourg Court as being under effective Russian control. Therefore, the challenge of the occupation is also important in this regard; there is a difficult situation in terms of human rights protection. My condolences to his family. This shows us once again how important it is to end the occupation as soon as possible," said Papuashvili.
