Public Defender Requests Prosecutor’s Office to Investigate Doctor’s Torture

Georgian Public Defender, Sozar Subari, has officially requested that the Prosecutor’s Office open an investigation over the one instance of a physician having been tortured by police officers from Samegrelo’s Regional Police Department.

Gocha Ekhvaia was the victim of the alleged torture. He is a resident of Zugdidi, who is a doctor of emergency first aid service in the village of Nabakevi in Gali district.

Sozar Subari stated at the press-conference that on January 30 policemen of the Zugdidi Police Department broke into the house of Ekhvaia and demanded him to show them where was Badri, a person who is wanted by the police. As the police could not find anybody in the house, they took the doctor to the police station for further questioning. Ekhvaia stated in his testimony that initially he was take to the Police Station of the Zugdidi Regional Department and demanded him to explain whether he was called to provide medical assistance on January 29, and whether he was taken anywhere to treat somebody.

Despite the doctor’s claims that he was not hiding anybody in his house, and was not able to answer their questions, the police then beat him severely. He fainted several times because of the cruelty and physical force applied. At 3:00 AM Ekhvaia was then taken to the Zugdidi District Department where police officers continued their torture in trying to get him to provide information.

Sozar Subari stated that police officers arrested Ekhvaia for hooliganism and resisting arrest.  As a result of the traumas, the doctor soon lost conscious in the isolator cell. He was consequently taken to the Zugdidi Central Hospital for treatment.

Sozar Suabri reported that Gocha Ekhvaia is ready to name the seven police officers who beat him brutally. Moreover, the tortured person told that Megis Kardava, deputy chairperson of the Zugdidi regional Department, was exceptionally cruel to him.

The Ombudsman added that the police officers violated several articles of the Criminal Code, such as using torture, threatening with death, physical or material damage; as well as breaking into his flat without the owner’s permission or a legal warrant; conducting an illegal search and taking part in other activities that breaches the inviolability of the home owner.

Sozar Subari has since applied to Eka Tkeshelashvili, Georgian Prosecutor General, to open an investigation into the crime.

Source: Medianews