On October 4, 1993, the brothers Tamaz and Tengiz Asanidze, MPs of the Supreme Council of Adjara, were arrested in the study of Aslan Abashidze, the chairman of the Supreme Council of Adjara. Mr. Tamaz Asanidze also was the head of the Khelvachauri Region, Mr. Tengiz Asanidze was the Batumi Mayor.
During the detention, preliminary investigation and trial of the above-mentioned persons human rights were roughly violated and Georgian Legislation was regularly ignored.
The brothers were accused of:
a) conducting a terrorist act;
b) an attempt upon Mr. Aslan Abashidze;
c) illegal purchasing and carrying of arms;
d) misappropriation of state and public property.
The brother Asanidze were firstly interrogated in 13 days after detention, witnesses in 2 months, and a victim Aslan Abashidze - in 5 months. The fact, that Mr. Abashidze announced, that the brother Asanidze have not insulted him physically and have not tried to kill him, is most curious. Thus, it took the investigation five months to consider, that the brother Asanidze were not killers and terrorists. Before it, on October 4, 1993, MP Badri Nakashidze informed the society on Adjar TV, that the brother Asanidze tried to kill Mr. Abashidze in his own study.
In October-November of 1993 Internal Ministry and Procurator's Office of Adjar published false accusations, according to which the brothers were terrorists, killers and they have misappropriated billions of money.
During the preliminary investigation legal proceedings were roughly violated, the defendants were influenced physically and psychologically.
On March 29, 1994, the charges of Mr. Tengiz Asanidze were repudiated. All the above-mentioned charges, except "misappropriation of state and public property", were repudiated. He was convicted by this accusation and sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment at a corrective labour colony. After it, according to the law, Mr. Tengiz Asanidze should have been taken to the colony within 10 days, though since October 4, 1993, the accused brothers are at the investigation isolator of Adjar Security Department in Batumi. For 3 years Mr. Tengiz Asanidze was alone in the cell, that is a rough violation of law.
Meanwhile, the employees of law-enforcement bodies of Adjara, together with the employees of Georgian Security Service, are persecuting the family of Mr. Tengiz Asanidze. Members of their family and relatives (more than 30 persons) were numerously detained. This January 19 Mr. Tengiz Asanidze's son was followed by a police car in Tbilisi and fired, though he managed to run away.
Thus, the brother Asanidze's and their family's rights are still being roughly violated.