Tatunashvili murder case investigation to include charges of torture
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The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia has decided to add the charge of torture to the investigation of Archil Tatunashvili murder case after the results of an autopsy have revealed new evidence.
The investigation has been carried out over charges of murder and the illegal deprivation of liberty so far.
The results of the autopsy carried out by the Georgian National Forensics Bureau show that 25-year-old Archil Tatunashvili, who died in unclear circumstances in occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) on February 23, sustained more than 100 injuries all over his body while alive.
"In fact, the corpse has traces of torture… The revelation of the new circumstances has created the basis for additional charges in the case. We are also intensively working with Tatunashvili’s family members,” Mezvrishvili said.
Tatunashvili’s body was returned to his family only 26 days after his death and all inner organs were removed from the body. The de-facto Tskhinvali administration refused to hand it over before an autopsy was made by a Russian forensics office which said Tatunashvili died of acute heart failure caused by myocardial ischemia on February 23.
Tatunashvili and two other Georgian citizens were detained in the occupied Akhalgori area by Russia-controlled border guards on February 22.
Georgia is drafting a lawsuit against Russia for Tatunashvili’s case in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
The results of the autopsy carried out by the Georgia’s National Forensics Bureau shows that 35-year-old soldier Archil Tatunashvili, who died in unclear circumstances in occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region on February 23 2018, sustained more than 100 injuries all over his body while alive.
The government of Georgia representatives demanded the handover of Archil Tatunashvili’s internal organs during the 86th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting in Ergneti village yesterday. The talks kicked off at 11 am and lasted until 9 pm. However, a representative of de facto Tskhinvali Murat Jioev stated after the meeting that "Tatunashvili was not tortured at all.”
The Georgian Justice Ministry is drafting a lawsuit for the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) against Russia over the high-profile Archil Tatunashvili’s case.35-year-old Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili died in Georgia’s occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region on February 23 and was returned to his family for burial only about a month later.
The Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria stated at the 6th EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee in Brussels yesterday that impunity in Georgia’s occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions encourage violence.
Interpol has issued a red notice for two individuals charged with the illegal deprivation of liberty of three Georgian citizens in February earlier this year and the murder of one of them, 35-year-old Archil Tatunashvili.