Sixteen neo-Nazi group members arrested in Georgia
Neo-Nazis in Georgia
Tbilisi police have arrested 16 members of a radical neo-Nazi group who, according to investigators, systematically carried out physical and psychological abuse against people of different ages, including teenagers, and shared information about these acts on social media.
Ten of those arrested are minors.
According to Georgia’s interior ministry, members of the group described themselves as neo-Nazis and said they acted in line with a fascist ideology. Investigators say they used violence to expand their influence and establish their own “authority”, particularly against those who did not share their views.
The investigation found that the suspects subjected their victims to degrading treatment, physical punishment and psychological pressure. The abuse was filmed on mobile phones and later shared on various online platforms. Law enforcement officials say the material was used to raise the group’s profile.
More than a dozen people are reported to have suffered as a result of the group’s actions, including four minors.
During searches, police seized mobile phones, masks, electronic devices, items bearing Nazi symbols, as well as bladed weapons and sound weapons.
A criminal case has been opened under Article 144 of Georgia’s criminal code, which relates to inhuman treatment of minors committed by a group acting in prior collusion and carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
Police say two leaders of local neo-Nazi groups, Levan Abesadze and Davit Japarov, are already serving sentences on similar charges.
The interior ministry says investigative actions are continuing at an intensive pace to identify other individuals linked to fascist groups. It has urged members of the public to contact the police immediately if they have any suspicions, in order to prevent violence against minors and the spread of extremist ideology among young people.
Neo-Nazis in Georgia
