TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi City Court has placed a former deputy chief prosecutor in pre-trial detention.

Davit Chkhatarashvili, the former deputy of former Chief Prosecutor Murtaz Zodelava, was December 7 detained and charged with organizing staged torture videos in a prison in Tbilisi.

Chkhatarashvili’s defense lawyers appealed to the judge with a motion to release him on bail, but the judge agreed with the Prosecutor’s Office and detained him.

The first trial hearing will be held January 27.

Zodelava attended Sunday’s hearing, but refrained from making comments to the media.

His deputy is charged with abuse of powers, organizing humiliation and mistreatment as well as falsification of evidence.