Address of Human Rights Center to Chief Prosecutor’s Office about Crimes Allegedly Committed by Law Enforcement Bodies

 

Human Rights Center calls on the Department to Investigate Offenses Committed in the Course of Legal Proceedings at the Chief Prosecutor’s Office to timely and effectively investigate delayed cases.

Ineffective reaction of the state and investigative bodies to the crimes committed by law enforcement bodies has been systemic problem for years.

After 2012 Parliamentary Elections, thousands of complaints were filed to the Chief Prosecutor’s Office whose big part refer to alleged facts of physical and verbal assault, oppression, planting of firearms or narcotics by the officers of penitentiary establishments and law enforcement bodies. Another systemic problem was coercion of citizens by law enforcement bodies to admit non-committed crimes; also illegal seizure of properties from private owners.

Although more than two years have passed since so-called prison video-footage was aired the investigation into alleged torture and inhuman treatment facts has been ineffective. Big part of torture victim prisoners does not hold victim status yet. They still unsuccessfully request timely and impartial investigation into their cases. 

After 2012 Parliamentary Elections Human Rights Center sent several applications to the Chief Prosecutor’s Office and requested timely and effective investigation into alleged facts of torture and inhuman treatment. Investigation into majority of our complaints is ineffective.

Human Rights Center believes delay in the investigation of these cases causes additional recrudescences like assassination of former political prisoner Besik Khardziani a few days ago. Nongovernmental organizations, including Human Rights Center, consider this accident as possible continuation of Yuri Vazagashvili’s vandal murder that is directed against active citizens fighting for justice.¹

Considering all aforementioned circumstances Human Rights Center calls on:

Department to Investigate Offenses Committed in the Course of Legal Proceedings at the Chief Prosecutor’s Office to timely and effectively investigate the facts of alleged inhuman treatment of citizens by the employees of penitentiary establishments and law enforcement bodies;

Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee at the Parliament of Georgia to ensure effective parliamentary control over the activities of the recently established department of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office. 

Human Rights Center 

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^1.See statement of NGOs:

shttp://humanrights.ge/index.php?a=main&pid=18206&lang=eng