President on minor’s death: we must make major changes to avoid such tragedies
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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.
The family says that Siradze attempted suicide after his interrogation at Didube police station on December 10 and 11 for allegedly damaging the property of a private Mtsvane School in Tbilisi and writing vulgar phrases on its walls.
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.
Luka Siradze, who jumped from the ninth floor after his interrogation at a police station on December 11, died early yesterday at a hospital.
Siradze died at Iashvili hospital in Tbilisi earlier yesterday due to the severe injuries he suffered during the suicide attempt. .
On December 16 the Georgian Interior Ministry dismissed allegations by the family, stating that the minor was interrogated twice “in the presence of his parents.”
However, the ministry 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.”
Shortly after the minor’s death a female investigator Mariana Choloiani was detained for allegedly placing psychological pressure on Siradze.
Choloiani was hospitalised after several hours of detention late yesterday and still remains in a hospital.
Georgian PM Giorgi Gakharia once again responded to the death of a minor on December 17 and stated that there is no time for politicizing tragedies as concrete, further steps must be taken for the welfare of children. “What the state does in terms of systemic reforms or the improvement of the education field, everything which is in touch with the youth must be even more effective, target-oriented and prevent such tragedies."
The Georgian State Inspector’s Office, a newly created independent agency investigating alleged offences committed by law enforcers, has pointed at possible problems at a school, not only at a police station which could have pushed a 15-year-old minor to commit suicide last week. “Situations, which could not have been acceptable or desirable for a child have been revealed at a school. Such situations also took place at a police station,” head of the agency Londa Toloraia told the media.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tbilisi City Court has sent female investigator Mariana Choloiani to detention for exerting pressure on Luka Siradze, 15, who died at M. Iashvili Children’s Central Hospital earlier this week.
State Inspector Londa Toloraia says her office has evidence Investigator Mariana Choloiani exerted psychological pressure on Luka Siradze, a 15-year-old boy who later committed suicide.
Tbilisi City Court has sentenced investigator Mariana Choloiani to 3 years in prison for placing psychological pressure on 15-year-old Luka Siradze, who subsequently tried to commit suicide and died several days later on December 17, 2019.