Georgian police have arrested 16 alleged fascists accused of a string of violent attacks across the country.
According to Tbilisi police, the suspects – including 10 minors under 18 – are neo-Nazis who had attacked a wide range of victims.
Police allege the group inflicted “physical and psychological violence with particular brutality,” in some cases recording the attacks and posting the footage on social media.
Beatings and stabbings
Their victims reportedly included both adults and adolescents, with at least four minors among those subjected to beatings, stabbings and other forms of abuse.
Raids on the suspects’ homes turned up electronic devices, masks, Nazi paraphernalia and weapons such as knives and signal guns.
This latest wave of arrests follows an earlier case in which nine alleged members of similar groups were detained, including two identified leaders, Levan Abesadze and David Japarov. The Ministry of Internal Affairs says the investigation is ongoing.
Torture
The charges relate to provisions in Georgia’s criminal code covering torture and inhuman treatment committed by a group, with possible sentences of up to ten years’ imprisonment for convictions where the victims are minors.
The Tbilisi arrests are not an isolated incident in a country grappling with rising far-right activism.
Earlier this year, the Tbilisi City Court handed down lengthy sentences to members of a fascist group convicted of a brutal assault on a 15-year-old boy, who was lured to an abandoned site, beaten, stabbed and forced to apologise on camera for expressing anti-fascist views.
The juveniles in that case received 7 and a half year sentences , with adults jailed for up to ten years.
