Georgian police detains 9 ex-state officials in alleged witch hunt plotNovember 15, 2012 - 20:36 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Georgian police detained a further nine former state officials on Thursday, November 15 widening an investigation which the opposition says is a politically motivated persecution by the new government, according to Reuters. The nine, all interior ministry officials under President Mikheil Saakashvili, were charged with abuse of power. Similar allegations were brought against the former interior minister and two military commanders arrested last week. With Saakashvili's nine-year dominance of the political scene over, his allies now say a witch hunt is being orchestrated by the new government of Bidzina Ivanishvili whose six-party coalition won a parliamentary election last month. Lawyers for the nine detainees said they had been also charged with abuse of power and illegal confinement. Former Interior Minister Bacho Akhalaia, arrested last week, quit his post in September, before the election, in a prisoner abuse scandal. He has been charged with torture and, separately, of illegally confining a person he had a disagreement with. The head of NATO, which Georgia aims to join, has expressed concern about the arrests and European officials whom Ivanishvili met earlier this week on a trip to Brussels criticized the cases launched against his political opponents. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |