Anatoli Gigaouri to the investigator during the court hearing: Why were you forcing me to take off my clothes? What did you have against my pants? Police officer Vakhtang Gabunia entered the room and hit me on the head, while you were clicking on the computer and didn’t react at all

I didn’t say a word. They beat me to death. The witness lied, Your Honor – said activist Anatoli Gigauri, who is accused of assaulting police officer Vakhtang Gabunia, during a court hearing.

At today’s session, the investigators involved in the case – Tevdore Grigalashvili and Vakhtang Dabrunashvili – were questioned. According to Dabrunashvili, Anatoli Gigauri, who is charged with assaulting officer Vakhtang Gabunia, refused to be interrogated. He stated that Gigauri had visible injuries, and when writing the report, Gigauri explained that he fell while being administratively detained and received the injuries then.

This statement caused protest from the defendant. Gigauri told the judge that the witness was lying. He insisted that he had exercised his right to remain silent and hadn’t said anything to the investigators.

"I exercised my right to remain silent and didn’t tell them anything. I didn’t say a word. They beat me to death. The [witness] lied, Your Honor.

Are you responsible for what happened in your room or not? As a law enforcement officer, are you not accountable for the violation that occurred, instead of clicking on your computer? You should have asked me what happened, and I told you I was using my right to remain silent. Did I not say that? Do you have the right to strip a person naked, to forcefully remove their clothes? Why did you force me to undress and wear pants and a sweater that were two sizes too big, which you brought in? What did you have against my pants? Gabunia came into your room and was hitting me on the head. I developed a hematoma right there, in your room. It happened in front of you, and you just kept clicking on your computer without reacting. I had a hematoma on my head, Your Honor, and it developed exactly in that room, in the presence of this gentleman," said Gigauri.

Judge Jvebe Nachkebia asked the investigator if such a conversation had taken place between him and the defendant. The investigator replied: “I don’t remember the exact words he used.” The judge also asked if the defendant had been stripped.

"Of course, he was searched. As for the reason why he didn’t want to give a statement – as far as I remember, he didn’t want to provide any information," replied Vakhtang Dabrunashvili.

Another witness, investigator Tevdore Giorgashvili, also did not confirm during the session that Gigauri had any head injuries. He stated in court that in the video footage he reviewed, he did not see police officer Vakhtang Gabunia strike Gigauri.

"I started an investigation regarding the assault on a police officer. There was an attack on Vakhtang Gabunia. He came in himself, and during the interrogation I noticed some redness on his face and neck. I didn’t notice anything else. I reviewed the video footage, and I didn’t see Gabunia strike Gigauri," Giorgashvili said.

Gigauri’s lawyer, Lasha Tsutskiridze, is requesting that Gigauri be recognized as a victim, stating that he did have visible injuries. According to him, the investigators’ testimonies significantly differ from reality, as the video shows the officer hitting Gigauri, while Gigauri was in a state of necessary self-defense.

For context, Anatoli Gigauri has been charged under Article 353¹, Part 1 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to assault on a police officer.