Public Defender’s Representative Has Been Beaten

Public Defender’s Representative Has Been Beaten

Tbilisi, June 17, 2005. MediaNews. Giorgi Oniani, the Public Defender’s Representative, was beaten in Ortachala Prison No. 7.

Oniani entered the prison premises to investigate a prisoner beating, but the police administration did not let him leave.

According to released information, the administration prohibited Oniani to leave with any photographs he’d taken in prison.

The Public Defender’s Representative refused to leave the prison without the pictures and was subsequently beaten by the prison administration.
“When the prison administration learned about the purpose of the Public Defender’s Representative, they locked him in a room and did not let him out. After that the prison director beat up Goga Oniani,” said Bacho Akhalaia, Deputy Public Defender.

Now representatives of the General Inspection of the Ministry of Justice, Public Defender’s apparatus and “Liberty Institute” have taken notice of Prison No. 7, and an investigation is under way in connection with this incident. “The venue of the incident is now being studied. Mobile phones and other evidence are lying on the floor. The investigation is initiated under Article 333, which implies abuse of professional duties. The investigation will do everything possible to find out what has really happened,” said Valeri Grigalashvili, Supervisory Prosecutor of the Justice Administration Department.

On 18 June, law-enforcement official David Vardosanidze was detained. He was accused by the Procuracy of abusing his work-related duties by locking up and beating Giorgi Oniani in the prison.