TBILISI, Georgia (CelebrityAccess) Tbilisi, with its cobblestone streets and rustic atmosphere, may be a favorite for tourists visiting the Russian providence of Georgia but, for Greek death metal band Rotting Christ, it might as well be hell.
The bandsaid in a Facebook post that the group’s singer, Sakis Tolis and his brother, Themis Tolis, the drummer, arrived in the city April 12 only to be taken away by police for questioning. They said they had their passports and cell phones taken away and led to a prison cell.
“When we were demanding to be told the reason for this arrest, we were simply told this information would be ‘confidential,’” Tolis said. “Our lawyers informed us later that we are on a list of unwanted persons of national security that branded us as Satanists and therefore suspects of terrorism.”
The two men were led to a “dinty” jail cell and were not permitted to talk to an attorney nor their embassy for 12 hours, Tolis said.
“Luckily, only the names ‘Tolis’ were on the list and the other two band members started to work with the local promoter to extract us from prison and commence legal procedures,” he added. “It took strong efforts and a complicated procedure to find a solution. Due to the hard work of the local promoter, who involved legal experts, journalists, and activists in Georgia, we were finally released.”
The brothers, and the band, were eventually allowed to leave the country and head back to America.
Rotting Christ’s next gig on April 18 was at the Youth Cultural Center in Burgas, Bulgaria.
