Tbilisi concerned, Georgian embassies to inform partners of death of Georgian citizen in prison of occupied Abkhazia
The cause behind the death of a Georgian citizen in the occupied Abkhazia region remains unknown. Photo: EUMM.
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All Georgian embassies have received instructions to inform their host countries of the death of 29-year-old Georgian citizen Irakli Kvaratskhelia in the prison of the Georgian occupied Abkhazia region, Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said.
Information about his death was published by the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) to Georgia late on Tuesday.
Suicide is the version offered by de facto authorities of Abkhazia.
We have received information about the alarming case yesterday by the EUMM mission. The reasons behind the death are being identified with the help of the mission. Before all causes of the incident are found, we have already taken steps to inform the international community regarding the issue,” Zalkaliani said.
He has stated that he has already spoken concerning the incident with the EU special representative to Georgia, as well as with co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions from the OSCE and UN.
Zalkaliani said that he still does not have information whether the deceased man was physically abused.
Georgian Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality Ketevan Tsikhelashvili states that knowledge of precise and objective information regarding the situation which preceded the fatality is “vitally important.”
The EUMM has reported that in its monitoring capacity and in line with its mandate, it continues to follow developments closely.
The mission-managed hotline has been activated March 12. We will continue to do what we can for the body to be handed to his family as soon as possible. All the information we will receive will be shared. I extend my condolences to the family on behalf of the mission,” Erik Hoeg, head of the EUMM mission to Georgia told the Agenda.ge.
Local official Rezo Kobalia says that Kvaratskhelia was reported to be in need of a doctor’s help on March 11 and added that the information is being rechecked.
A member of the European Georgia opposition Sergi Kapanadze says that if Kvaratskhelia was tortured and killed Tbilisi must take a “strong reaction” and the murderers must be put on the Orkhozoria-Tatunashvili list.
Locals told the media that Kvaratskhelia was detained after a verbal dispute with occupying forces several days ago. One of the locals told the Imedi TV that Kvaratskhelia has wife and one child.
Co-chairs of the Geneva Internal Discussions from the EU, UN and EU, dealing with Georgian conflict issues, are in the Russian occupied Abkhazia region of Georgia to discuss the details of the recent death of Georgian citizen Irakli Kvaratskhelia in the region.
Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili, who died in unclear circumstances in occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region on February 23, will be buried in his village cemetery on Saturday.
Tatunashvili’s body was finally returned to his family 26 days after his death as the de-facto Tskhinvali administration had refused to hand it over before an autopsy.
Representatives of the de facto governments of Georgian occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) continue to raise objections to the Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili list, which sanctions individuals for the violation of human rights in the regions, at the local Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meetings, representative of the State Security Service of Georgia Irakli Antadze has stated.
The Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze stated today that 33 individuals have been put on the Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili list, which includes people who have violated the rights of Georgian citizens in the country’s occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions.Bakhtadze says that the number is expected to rise in the future.
The body of 29-year-old Georgian citizen Irakli Kvaratskhelia, who died in unclear circumstances in occupied Abkhazia, has been handed over to his relatives on Tbilisi-controlled territory. News of Kvaratskhelia’s death was reported yesterday, however sources fix his death at an earlier date.
The State Security Service of Georgia reports that a young Georgian man, Irakli Kvaratskhelia, has reportedly committed suicide in the Gali district, in Georgia's Russian-occupied region of Abkhazia. Kvaratskhelia, born in 1990, had been allegedly detained by de-facto authorities.
A post-mortem examination lasting longer than five hours was carried out earlier today to clarify the reasons behind the death of 29-year-old Irakli Kvaratskhelia while in illegal detention in the Georgian occupied Abkhazia region on March 10.
Occupation of Georgian territories by Russia was strictly condemned by European countries’ delegations during the general debates held by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 22.