‘When we get in the minibus, the fun will start’ — How Georgian police torture detained protesters

According to statistics from 28 Nov to 9 Dec, 450+ protesters were detained. Of these, 300+ experienced beatings, torture, & inhuman treatment, with 80 requiring hospitalisation.

As of today, not a single member of law enforcement has been criminally charged.

Lazare Maglakelidze, a 20-year-old third-year Rome student, began witnessing widespread irregularities at his polling station. He realised this wasn’t isolated but a systemic problem throughout the entire election process. He felt compelled to stay & participate in protests, attending every rally.

‘Two officers held me while they punched me in the stomach V legs, then grabbed my raincoat, covered my head, restrained my hands, & punched me in the face. I lost track of how many people hit me or how long it lasted. I could no longer see & eventually lost consciousness from the blows to my head.’

One of the minibus detainees later told me after I passed out, the two officers continued holding my body while nearby police officers hit, kicked, & punched me’. ‘When I regained consciousness, I tried to remove my raincoat, which alerted them that I was awake, and they resumed beating me.’

Lazare believes this wasn’t an isolated decision by individual officers but rather a deliberate and coordinated systematic process. For instance, when searching for an available minibus, it became clear this was regular procedure. Passing police officers would join in on the abuse without hesitation.

He believes this was not a spontaneous act, but part of a larger system of abuse & torture. ‘After beaten, I was thrown in the minibus with 3 detainees. Initially, they beat us lightly, mostly on the head, while making derogatory remarks about our involvement in the protests, calling us traitors.

He recalls at one point, five officers entered the bus and turned off the lights, turning the interior pitch black due to the tinted windows. ‘They resumed beating us in complete darkness. I’m not sure how long the assault lasted, but I lost consciousness again after a brutal blow to the head.’

‘When I woke up, I noticed a pool of my own blood in my raincoat. Because it was waterproof, the blood had collected & streamed down when I removed it. Shortly afterward, they handed us to the police, who photographed us in the police car, likely for superiors, to show they “treated us properly” ’

Abridged (shortened) article [https://bsky.app/profile/johnhatchard.bsky.social/post/3ldfqsfpfyk2f](https://bsky.app/profile/johnhatchard.bsky.social/post/3ldfqsfpfyk2f)