Georgia hunts for police officer in connection to man’s suicide

Georgian law enforcers are searching for a former police officer currently in hiding after he allegedly exceeded his official powers and violently incited a young man to commit suicide.

The police search was announced after Kutaisi City Court imposed pre-trial detention on the alleged offender in absentia last night.

The incident took place in western Georgia’s Samtredia district on August 7.

In a statement released earlier this week, Georgia’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office said on August 7 District Inspector Investigator Goderdzi Tevzadze summoned a 22-year-old man to the police station without any legal grounds to do so.

The man was Demur Sturua and he was a resident of a small village in Samtredia district.

The Office said for the purpose of intimidating and influencing Sturua, Tevzadze unlawfully made him sit in his police car before taking him to a deserted area and threatened him that he would impute a crime to him if Sturua didn’t cooperate with police.

Tevzadze allegedly then physically assaulted Sturua and forced him to provide police with information about which people in the village grew marijuana.

Sturua was under a suspended sentence for stealing. This caused him to be frightened that if he failed to provide the required information, Tevzadze would fulfill his threats.

"As a result, Sturua decided to commit suicide,” the Prosecutor’s Office said.

Before the young man killed himself he wrote a farewell letter that indicated the reason of his suicide, described what had happened on August 7, and said goodbye to his mother, writing: "Mother, you’re now left alone. But what can I do?”

The Chief Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into the case on August 29 on the count of exceeding official powers under violence and incitement to suicide.

The Office said the former police officer avoided investigation so a motion was filed to the court seeking the application of detention against Tevzadze in absentia as a measure of constraint.

Kutaisi City Court satisfied the motion last night and the former police officer was declared wanted this morning.

If proven guilty Tevzadze will spend from five to eight years behind bars.