Two members of State for the People party detained
By Tatia Megeneishvili
Tuesday, July 26
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia released a statement regarding the detention of two members of the State for the People party on July 24.
According to the Police, the detention has nothing to do with the political activities of the individuals and they were detained for police resistance and for verbal abuse of police officers.
“A police officer carried out a breathalyser test on the driver which came up negative. The officer was then insulted by the passengers of the car. The officer called on them to obey the law, but they became abusive and as a result were detained,” reads the statement.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs also said that police officers had no information of any political affiliation of the detained individuals.
“The procedures that police officers were conducting were of preventive character. The police is a non-political institution. We call on all involved individuals to stop making defamatory statements,” reads the statement released by the Interior Ministry.
The head and the founder of the State for the People party is well-known Georgian Opera singer Paata Burtchuladze. The incident took place near the State for the People party office.
A member of the State for the People party, Nikoloz Maisuradze, stated that the police was watching party members all day.
“All day long yesterday they were under surveillance. At night, when they were leaving the office, police officers started searching their vehicles. When one of the persons sitting in the car protested against it loudly, the police detained him and another one trying to help him,” stated Maisuradze.
Another member of the party, Bidzina Managadze, stated that he was checked by the police twice that day.
“They examined me twice after I left the party office. Not only me, either; they examined everyone who was leaving the building,” said Managadze.
According to another party member, Buba Kordzadze, who was the driver of the car, the police officers arrested his passengers without any given reason.
