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

Sixteen-Year-Old Juvenile Might Be Imprisoned for Nine Years for having Stolen Bicycle

July 26, 2007

Sixteen-year-old Nodar Tukvadze has been in Batumi Jail # 3 for six months already where he is waiting for court verdict. Batumi Prosecutor’s Office blames the juvenile for having stolen a bicycle. The investigation is based only on victim’s testimony that is impartial according to the lawyer of the accused. The victim is an inspector for Adjara Defense Police Department.

Levan Kopaliani, an intern for Batumi District Prosecutor’s Office, said that on February 13 2007Nodar Tukvadze and four unidentified people stole a bicycle from the house of Zaur Rizhvadze. The victim stated in his testimony that as soon as robbers noticed him, they escaped and took the bicycle with them. “I chased them; later I caught them near the hospital and demanded to return the bicycle though they did not have with them. One of them pulled out a knife from the pocket and threatened with death unless I left them alone. There were five of them; I tried to calm them down but another robber, having withdrawn something from the pocket, wounded me in abdomen twice. Another robber noticed golden chain on my neck and tried to grab it. I saw their faces very well and can recognize all of them. I ran into the hospital where they assisted me and called police. I sat in a police car to look for the criminals. I noticed all five people in Farnavazi Street. They recognized me and escaped. The police managed to arrest only one of them. It is Nodar Tukvadze who was very aggressive during our quarrel,” said Rizhvadze in his testimony made during investigation and Batumi Prosecutor’s Office relies on his statements.

Accused Nodar Tukvadze does not plead guilty. He has been in Batumi jail for six months already. He claims that during robbery he was in Batumi Maternity Hospital where the wife of his brother was giving birth to a child.

“We took my daughter-in-law to the hospital on that day. Before leaving home I warned my neighbor to inform Nodari where we had gone when he arrived home. When Nodari came to the hospital he could not find us and returned home. The family learned about his detention at 10:00 AM next morning. Although policemen searched the house, they could not find anything,” said Nanuli Diasamidze, mother of the detainee.

Ramin Gvarishvili, lawyer for Batumi based non-governmental organization “Democracy Institute” protects the rights of Nodar Tukvadze.

According to the lawyer the criminal case launched against his clement is illegally investigated. “The victim Rizhvadze stated in his testimony that early in the morning when robbers were stealing bicycle from his yard he went into the room, got dressed, closed the door, went out in the street, chased the robbers and finally caught them. It is unreal. Besides that, Rizhvadze said that he was injured and applied to the Batumi Hospital # 1 where he was medically assisted. We demanded information from the hospital and the reply we have received states that similar fact did not take place at their hospital. Thus the victim is lying. Besides that the procedure of recognition a criminal is also breached. The investigation relies only on victim’s testimony. There are no other materials that could prove Tukvadze’s guiltiness in the crime,” said Gvarishvili.

Nobody makes comments at the Batumi District Prosecutor’s Office regarding Tukvadze’s case. We failed to get information from Adjara Regional law enforcers with the support of Press-Service Center for the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Currently the criminal case is discussed at the Batumi Civil Court. Jemal Kiknadze, the chairman of the court, did not wish to make comments on the reasons for prolonged procedure.

Sixteen-year-old juvenile faces nine-year-imprisonment for having stolen a bicycle.

Gela Mtivlishvili, Adjara

News