Family Says Georgian Man who Died in Abkhazia had Injuries
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Monday, March 18
Irakli Kvaratskhelia, a 29-year-old Georgian citizen, who died in unclear circumstances in the military base of the village of Nabakevi in the occupied region of Georgia-Abkhazia, has injuries on his body, Ana Kvaratskhelia, Irakli Kvaratskhelia’s cousin told the media.
She claims that the deceased man has injuries in his head and back.
"I can tell you that he has injuries in his head and spinal area. I saw it myself. Let's wait for the examination and investigation,” she stated.
A post-mortem examination has already been conducted on the body.
Expert Irakli Toidze told the media that the deceased suffered damage to the throat.
“Pieces of rope were also found inside the wounds. No other damage has been found. As for the damage on the throat, laboratory studies should say whether it was inflicted when the man was alive or whether they appeared after death,” Toidze said.
Kvaratskhelia’s body was handed to Tbilisi on March 13.
The de facto authorities say that the man was detained on March 10 for “illegally crossing the border,” and was found hanging in an interrogation room where he had been left to write an explanatory note.
Several Georgian media outlets cited locals saying that Kvaratskhelia had a verbal dispute with the occupying forces who then beat him which led to his death – then his suicide was staged.
It was also stated that he was tortured with electric shock.
Georgian government members say that there are waiting for an official conclusion of an autopsy. However, they have already called the incident “alarming.”
The opposition says that the government must take tough measures if it’s confirmed that the man was tortured and killed.
One of such measures is putting alleged offenders on the Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili list, which provides local and international sanctions for those people who have violated human rights in the Georgian occupied regions since the 1990s.
