Public Defender Requests Punishment of Police Chief

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

Public Defender of Georgia Giorgi Tugushi requests punishment of the head of Telavi district police department Shota Bezhanishvili. The Ombudsman’s report states that on April 6, 2010 police officers detained juvenile suspect for the thievery in a shop in Telavi; the police officers beat him at the police station to get his confession about in stealing a bike too.

The juvenile detainee said that police chief threatened him with death if he informed people about the physical assault. “Only investigator and my teacher were in the interrogation room. Before my teacher arrived, the investigator slapped me in the face and demanded to plead guilty. Then several police officers beat me in the police station. I do not remember how many officers were beating me; they were kicking in the face, legs and body; they demanded me to admit crime; then they warned me not to tell anybody about physical assault. So, I did not say anything about it until I was placed in prison.”

The mother of the juvenile said her son was beaten by investigator Nikoloz Javakhishvli from Telavi district police.

“We learned about the incident on April 16, 2010 when the representatives of the prevention and monitoring department met and interviewed juvenile prisoner Malkhaz M in the Jail # 5 for female and juvenile convicted. The prisoner had various injuries on the body. The juvenile said the police detained him for thievery in Telavi based shop on April 6, 2010. He added that police officers beat him at the police station who demanded him to admit stealing of a bike too. Malkhaz M said that police chief threatened him with death if he informed anybody about physical assault. On April 16, 2010 the juvenile prisoner had general injuries on the face, excoriations and bruises on the body,” the report of the Public Defender reads.

On April 19, 2010 the Public Defender sent the case materials to the Chief Prosecutor of Georgia for further respond. Giorgi Tugushi said, according to the reply from the Chief Prosecutor’s Office, on April 16, 2010 Kakheti Regional Prosecutor’s Office started preliminary investigation under Article 332, Part I of the Criminal Code of Georgia.

“On July 6, 2010, we again requested information from the Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia about the ongoing investigation process. According to their reply, the personnel of the pretrial detention setting in Kakheti region and the Jail # 5 for female and juvenile prisoners were interrogated; the investigation team interrogated the people also detained together with Malkhaz M and their parents. According to the same reply of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office, on April 9, 2010, based on the health notification on Malkhaz M issued by the Jail # 5 a forensic expertise was carried out,” said the Public Defender.

Kakheti Regional Prosecutor Tamaz Tsabutashvili said case on Malkhaz M is still being investigated.

“Currently, we have to declare some details. Nobody was prosecuted for the crime yet,” said the Prosecutor.

Public Defender said the analysis of various materials and facts demonstrate that the Prosecutor’s Office mostly superficially investigates the facts of torture and ill-treatment of detainees or any other similar crimes.