Categories
Journalistic Survey
Articles
Reportage
Analitic
Photo Reportage
Exclusive
Interview
Foreign Media about Georgia
Editorial
Position
Reader's opinion
Blog
Themes
Children's Rights
Women's Rights
Justice
Refugees/IDPs
Minorities
Media
Army
Health
Corruption
Elections
Education
Penitentiary
Religion
Others

Court Acquitted Giorgi Tsomaia

May 7, 2015
 
Natia Gogolashvili

On May 6, Tbilisi City Court acquitted Giorgi Tsomaia in the imposed charge – assault on police officer. Judge Khatuna Kharchilava at the Criminal Case Collegium at the Tbilisi City Court reviewed Giorgi Tsomaia’s case. Lawyer Mariam Neparidze and lawyer of Human Rights Center Tamar Avaliani defended Tsomaia’s interests at the court.

In the midnight of August 14, 2014 Giorgi Tsomaia applied to police unit # 2 located in Vaja-Pshavela Avenue in his residential district. He asked police officers to return his cell phone which police had seized from him during previous imprisonment term. In reply to that, about 11 police officers beat him. According to Tsomaia, they beat and kicked him in the chest, head and belly; degraded and sputtered him. 


“About 11 police officers ruthlessly beat me in the police office. But they charged me for the incident as if I had attacked them with knife. I was illegal prisoner during 9 months. I request punishment all perpetrators in my case,” Giorgi Tsomaia said.

On August 14, 2014 Giorgi Tsomaia was arrested as an accused and placed in temporary detention setting. Because of serious injuries on his body, temporary detention setting did not accept him without medical form # 100 fearing he could die in their facility. On August 15, Giorgi Tsomaia was charged in the assault of police officer. On August 16, Tbilisi City Court sentenced him to pre-trial detention. The accused person spent nine months in the Gldani Prison # 8.

“The court acquitted Giorgi Tsomaia and concluded that he had not attacked police officer and did not have knife with him. The court called on the relevant bodies to investigate the physical assault on Giorgi Tsomaia in Vake-Saburtalo district police unit # 2. It is noteworthy that Giorgi has not been interrogated as a victim so far and we request his interrogation. Besides, we request criminal liability of the people whose guiltiness was exposed by the investigation. We request to suspend authority of all those 11 police officers who beat Giorgi Tsomaia before investigation is over. Also, we request minimum disciplinary sanctions against supervisor prosecutor Davit Kikacheishvili,” Lawyer Tamar Avaliani said. 

Tamar Avaliani added Human Rights Center continues defense of Giorgi Tsomaia’s interests and requests the Prosecutor’s Office to timely investigate the physical assault of Giorgi Tsomaia in Vake-Saburtalo district police unit. 

News