Elisashvili at Trial: Prisoners Expressed Support for Giorgi Davitadze

Opposition politician Aleko Elisashvili, who is in detention, told the court hearing that prisoners in the prison had expressed support for Giorgi Davitadze. Elisashvili also spoke about the criminal cases brought against him and said that communication with his family and the outside world is prohibited for him.

According to Elisashvili, he thought that they would find him kneeling, begging and pleading, and would seek clemency and a plea deal, but "they got the wrong address." As he stated, government representatives measure everyone by their own yardstick.

"Party members and leaders arrest their friends, then humiliate each other, talk about each other, are in prison and slander each other. [...] Now they lay hands on each other, write "denunciations" about each other, just to get out of prison," Elisashvili said.

He said he is worried about two issues. The first is that he should have set fire to injustice, to the humiliation of the people and the beating of his own people. The second is that he should not have been so easily unable to catch those three people, especially since they had weapons. Elisashvili says he did not even think of using a weapon against them and tested his excessive self-confidence on himself.

Elisashvili, relying on information disseminated by Giorgi Davitadze, said that there was a protest in the prison on October 2. According to him, prisoners stood by the abused Davitadze and protested the violence. In Elisashvili's assessment, such solidarity has never been seen anywhere.

According to him, throughout the night about 20, possibly more, prisoners were taken out of the prison, and then they called and said they had been "smashed" by beatings. Elisashvili said that many were also taken out of his corridor and that he knows the names and surnames of 9 prisoners. In his assessment, this was not an inspection but a planned punitive special operation.

According to Elisashvili, the prisoners' protest was caused by the "cynical manner" in which the head of the penitentiary service spoke about this matter and by his thanking of the guards. As he stated, as soon as the speech ended, they began smashing glass and cursing the head of the penitentiary service and the prison director.

Elisashvili added that the penitentiary service is lying about what happens in prisons. According to him, a cell in his block is still sealed to this day, because a prisoner smashed glass and slashed his veins with the fragments. The upper corridor is also sealed, where, according to him, one prisoner called and confirmed that he had slashed his veins.

According to him, for the past 2-3 days the prison administration has been behaving much more respectfully toward prisoners. At the same time, Elisashvili said that not all guards should be tainted because of a few individuals.

Elisashvili addressed Giorgi Davitadze's father and expressed support. According to him, all worthy prisoners stand beside Davitadze in prison, that is, "the whole of boyhood." Therefore, according to Elisashvili, Davitadze's father should not worry that anyone will speak about his son in a different way.

Elisashvili also addressed Irakli Kobakhidze and Irakli Kaladze. According to him, they spoke about Davitadze with contempt, but when they are arrested and sit in prison, even their own family members will turn their backs on them. He asked them not to talk about others' dignity.