Georgia accused of torture

Tbilisi - Human Rights Watch/Helsinki has accused the former Soviet republic of Georgia of widespread rights violations, including torture. The report published by the group at the weekend also charges Georgian leader Eduard Shevardnadze with violating basic norms by calling for the killing of people who had not been tried by a court. 'There are violations of the most serious kind - torture, beatings, harassment of the families and lawyers of the accused,' a spokeswoman for the group said. Reuter