On September 10, 2009 Zugdidi District Court (Judge Davit Kekenadze) sentenced Academician Vladimer Vakhania to one-year-imprisonment for preventing journalist from professional activities and to three-year-imprisonment for illegal purchase-possession of weapon; the crimes are envisaged under Article 154 Part II and Article 236 Part I of the Criminal Code of Georgia. Law enforcement officers detained Vakhania for preventing journalist from her professional activities and for the purchase-possession of weapon on March 17, 2009. He is in Zugdidi prison N 4 in unbearable conditions with poor health.

“At the trial he was green and stupefied. We doubt he is poisoned. His health conditions are still extremely poor. We do not trust doctors of the prison and requested permission to take our doctors into the custody; however we could not achieve it until Strasbourg Court took up our case. However, health conditions of the prisoner are getting worse day-by-day. To make the situation clearer, Vakhania might have heart problems even when he is resting. It is clearly described in the medical conclusion. At the trial he requested water but nobody gave him it. The man nearly fell down and died,” said attorney of Vladimer Vakhania Lali Aptsiauri.

Five more lawyers defend political prisoner besides Lali Aptsiauri (they are Gia Ebralidze, Nugzar Kvaratskhelia, Jemal Shelia, Lili Gelashvili, Kakha Lomaia). Despite that, he cannot be justified because of current situation in Georgian judiciary system.

On December 25, Chamber of Criminal Cases at the Kutaisi Appeal Court (Marina Siradze, Marina Imerlishvili, Murtaz Kapanadze) did not satisfy any of the solicitations of the defense side. The attorneys clarified that the decision was not a surprise for them because principle of fair trial was breached at the first instance court too; they could not estimate what really happened in March in Zugdidi.

What Happened in Fact?

Academician Vladimer Vakhania returned from Russia and law enforcement officers discovered automatic weapon and other explosives in his house. Before that, on February 19, 2009 he was interviewed by the local newspaper where he discussed current events in Georgia and but later it became motive to blame him in the oppression of the journalist. Before that, he tried to establish political organization and the government protested it from the very beginning.

Today, relatives of Vladimer Vakhania recall how his car was stopped in Zugdidi (his relative was driver) and policemen inquired where Vakhania was. Besides that, before his departure to Moscow his ID together with other documents were seized from Vakhania at Tbilisi Airport; thus he could not fly to Russia.

Relatives of Vakhania, as well as his attorneys, state that today he is a political prisoner and court investigation aims to discredit him. The government wants to remove Vakhania from political activities and they managed it with the support of the court and declared the academician to be at traitor in the society. People saw weapon on TV in Vakhania’s house in Zugdidi. Much was said and written about threatening the journalist which was added to case materials and soon “corresponding conclusion” was made – Vakhania was arrested.

After this incident, all national TV-channels and regional media sources refused journalist Vakhtang Komakhidze to show his movie “Spy Syndrome”. In the movie, unlike investigation, every detail of the fact is focused. Video-eye installed close to Vladimer Vakhania’s house shows that tens of policemen entered his house instead two (as it was claimed by the prosecutor’s office) and they turned everything up and down. Of course, there are other details which turned out to be odd for the investigation but not for the movie. For example, witnesses said in their testimonies that policemen with some packets in their hands entered the house of Vakhania and searched the house through violation of the law. Most part of them did not wait for the policemen standing at the gate and crapped through the fence. Vakhania’s house was surrounded by policemen all day long. They did not allow passers-by to take photos of the house. Relative of the family and witness Jambul Chikovani is still imprisoned for false testimony.

Later, attorneys of Vladimer Vakhania, together with other solicitations, requested to add the film to case materials but the court declined it for the lack of reasonable motive of it…

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