Relatives of beaten soldier block highway in Georgia

Relatives and friends of Beso Kokaya, a Georgian army private severely beaten by fellow servicemen, blocked traffic near Poti on the highway to Tbilisi on Sunday, April 18.

They demanded that the military prosecutor open a criminal case on Kokaya's beating at the Kulevi training ground, located near the administrative border with Abkhazia.

Relatives said Kokaya had been beaten four days earlier by about 10 servicemen who then tied him to a tree. Kokaya had been taken to hospital unconscious. Doctors say he remains in critical condition.

Relatives say that the military prosecutor has still not shown any interest in the incident.