After the traditional torchlight procession in the evening of April 23 and according to tradition, the youth from several Armenian villages around Akhaltsikhe town of Georgia had climbed to the shrine to light a fire and honor the Armenian Genocide victims.

Arriving at the sanctuary, however, they came across a group of Georgians from nearby Vale town, and who had organized a picnic and were drunk.

Next morning, officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia had visited the homes of these Armenian youth, intimidated them, and made disrespectful comments regarding their national identity.

The Samtskhe-Javakheti Province Prosecutor’s Office has launched an inquiry into what occurred at the Akhaltsikhe district police station on the night of the 101st anniversary of Armenian Genocide, and started an investigation into this incident, according to sknews.ge.

The provincial attorney general’s office launched a criminal investigation into the Akhaltsikhe district police station officers’ possible exceeding of their powers.