Ex-head of Georgian Forestry Department released in Spain

Bidzina Giorgobiani, the secretary for international affairs of the Conservative Party of Georgia and former head of the Forestry Department, who was detained in Spain at the request of the Georgian party, is at large, said Lasha Chkhartishvili, one of the leaders of the party.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 21 it became known that the Spanish police had detained Bidzina Giorgobiani. Kakha Dzaganiya, the ideological secretary of the Labour Party, said that Giorgobiani, who was on his vacations in Spain, had been pursued by the Georgian authorities.

"According to our information, he (Giorgobiani) was released; and the main role was played by German authorities, who had once recognized him as a political refugee and gave him German citizenship in 2007," Mr Chkhartishvili said in his interview to the IA "News-Georgia".

"We are confident that this issue won't be solved in favour of the illegal demands of Georgian authorities. Giorgobiani isn't guilty. He went to Germany after leaving his post in protest against illegal actions of Vano Merabishvili (head of the Georgian MIA) and Bacho Akhalaiya (Head of the MIA's Department of Constitutional Security), who were involved in illegal cutting and sale of timber. Instead of stopping these actions, the authorities started political persecution of Giorgobiani," said Chkhartishvili.

Mr Giorgobiani reported about his release himself through a social network. "They released me at 11 p.m., but for two weeks I should stay in the territory of Spain," he told the GHN.