Police dismiss allegations of alleged pressure on minor leading to suicide attempt
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The Georgian Interior Ministry has dismissed allegations by the family of a 15-year-old of allegedly applying psychological pressure at Tbilisi Didube-Chugureti police station last week, which may have led to a suicide attempt by the minor.
Police say that the minor was interrogated twice “in the presence of his parents” at Didube Chugureti police station on December 10 and 11 for inflicting damage to the property of Mtsvane School in Tbilisi and writing vulgar phrases on the walls of the school.
The ministry has confirmed that the minor spent “only 3-4 minutes alone” with one of the police officers before the beginning of the interrogation as the “minor had a conflict with his mother and the police officer tried to calm the situation.”
The ministry says that they are actively cooperating with the State Inspector’s Office, investigating alleged offences committed by law enforcers.
The civic movement Sirtskhvilia (Shame) has made inscriptions in Tbilisi, at various places, in protest of the incident, supporting the minor.
The family says that the minor, who is in coma now with severe head trauma and multiple fractions, suffered psychological pressure from law enforcers to admit to the crime and attempted suicide on December 11, after the second interrogation.
The family says that the minor was forced to admit to the crime on December 10, while on December 11 the minor changed his testimony and said that he was innocent, before jumping from the ninth floor.
The Mtsvane School administration says that the minor was identified with the use of surveillance cameras and he is a former student of the school.
Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria says that less people addressed her office for help in 2018 regarding possible abuse by law enforcers.
A new, independent agency, the State Inspector’s Office, which replaced the Personal Data Protection Inspector’s Office back in July 2019, will begin its function to investigate possible crimes committed by law enforcers and state officials starting November 1.An event was held earlier today to mark the upcoming launch of the work of the agency and was attended by top Georgian officials.
The Georgian parliament has approved Londa Toloraia, the former head of Human Rights Department of the Interior Ministry, as the country’s first state inspector to investigate possible crimes committed by law enforcers.
The government of Georgia has allowed for the creation of the State Inspector’s Service that will study alleged offences committed by law enforcers, a decision that has long been requested by the civil sector and the opposition.
UNICEF Georgia (United Nations Children's Emergency Fund) has called on the authorities to ensure children’s rights in the juvenile justice system, responding to the suicide attempt of a 15-year-old minor due to alleged psychological pressure at Didube-Chugureti police station last week.
A 15-year-old minor who may have been led to a suicide attempt by psychological pressure at Tbilisi Didube-Chugureti police station over a week ago, has died at M. Iashvili Children’s Central Hospital today.
A female investigator Mariana Choloiani has been detained for placing psychological pressure leading to a suicide attempt of Luka Siradze, 15, who died at M. Iashvili Children’s Central Hospital earlier today.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has promised “very tough punishment” for those, ‘no matter their status or rank’, whose guilt will be revealed by the State Inspector’s Office in pushing 15-year-old Luka Siradze to suicide on December 11. Gakharia has expressed his “deep sorrow” over the death of Siradze, who died in Iashvili Hospital in Tbilisi early yesterday due to severe injuries he received after jumping from the ninth floor of a building.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has responded to the death of 15-year-old Luka Siradze, who jumped from the ninth floor of a building after being subjected to alleged psychological pressure at Didube police station in Tbilisi, saying that “we must make major changes to avoid such tragedies.”“The death of a 15-year-old boy is a big tragedy for the state. I share the hard moments with the family and wish them to stand strong in this very difficult time,” Zurabishvili wrote.
Eight non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has demanded the State Inspector’s office investigate the recent murder of 24-year-old Murad Tsurtsumia who died in an incident involving Interior Ministry employee Zurab Popkhadze.