Sergei Kanchelli Describes Police Violence at Kuki Cemetery

Sergei Kanchelli tells Netgazeti about the incident that took place at the territory of Kuki cemetery in Tbilisi on September 27. According to him, police officers took him into the cemetery, where they physically and psychologically abused him, threatened him with a weapon and tried to humiliate him. Kanchelli says that because of what happened, he was forced to leave Georgia and emigrate.

According to Kanchelli, on September 27 he had gone out for a run in the area adjacent to Kuki when law enforcement officers stopped him. Initially, three police officers approached him, searched him and demanded that he unlock his mobile phone. According to him, his refusal to unlock it was followed by violence.

"I refused their demand and explained that it was not legal. They replied that they did not care. One of the police officers told me, 'Come on, come on, let's talk,' and took me to the cemetery, where the threats began. He hit me in the face several times and stripped me naked. He called someone, after which the other two police officers joined us and continued the beating," recalls Kanchelli.

According to him, later three more law enforcement officers arrived at the scene, meaning that a total of six police officers took part in the violence against him. One person, whom the police introduced as their "friend", took out particular cruelty against him because he had refused an illegal search.

Kanchelli says that one of the police officers took out a weapon and pressed it against different parts of his body, while another took him aside, pulled out a knife, threatened him and scratched his face.

"One of the police officers took out a weapon and started threatening me, pressing it against different parts of my body. Another took me aside and said, 'Now I have to dig a grave for you,' took out a knife, threatened me and scratched my face. Then the one who had been threatening me with the weapon came back, and I was lying on someone's grave, and he kept saying: 'I will kill you, I will kill you and shoot you,'" Sergei tells Netgazeti.

Kanchelli says that when part of the police officers began leaving the territory, one of them stayed with him and demanded oral sex. After he refused, physical violence followed again.

According to him, one of the law enforcement officers took a photo of his and his mother from his wallet, pressed it against his genitals, insulted his mother and tried to burn the photo. When leaving, one of the police officers poured water on his trousers and smashed his mobile phone on the concrete, while another called him "Akatsuki" and said that he "deserved all of this".

Asked about a possible connection to targeted persecution, Kanchelli does not give a precise answer, but says that in recent months police had often stopped him on the street.

"Recently, I was searched at least once a week. It had already become normal for me. Once, when I was running in sports clothes in the sun on the seafront and was sweaty, they stopped me and asked: what are you doing. Although it was clear that I was training. So, when they stopped me that day too, at first I did not pay much attention," he notes.

After the incident, Kanchelli left Georgia. According to him, he did not want to leave the country and the decision was very difficult to make.

"I was not thinking about myself, I was more thinking that it would be a great tragedy for my loved ones if something happened to me. That is why I made this decision. Since I am here now, I will try to be as productive as possible, continue my studies, work and help Georgia in any way I can. However, I had no specific plan, because even thinking about leaving was terrible for me," states Kanchelli.

The Investigation Department of the Tbilisi Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into the alleged violence against Kanchelli by employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, on the fact of exceeding official powers involving violence, under Article 333, Part 3, Subparagraph "b" of the Criminal Code.