Investigator Charged with Obtaining Forced Confession from Teenager
Police have charged the investigator, detained on suspicions of obtaining a forced confession from a 15-year-old teenager, has been formally charged.
Mariana Choloyani was charged at Caucasus Medical Center, where the detainee is hospitalized.
She pleads not guilty.
Investigator has been detained for allegedly placing psychological pressure leading to the suicide attempt of Luka Siradze, 15, who died at M. Iashvili Children’s Central Hospital on December 17.
His family and lawyer said earlier that the boy suffered psychological pressure from law enforcers who wanted him to admit to the crime of damaging the property of the private Mtsvane (Green) School in Tbilisi by spraying offensive graffiti on its walls.
Interior Ministry confirmed that the minor spent only a few 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”.
However, the Ministry excluded any psychological pressure from the officer, saying that the boy was interrogated twice “in the presence of his mother” at the above police station on December 10 and 11.
After the suicide committed by the teenager, protests sparked throughout the country, with protesters demanding the resignation of Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri.
"This young boy is yet another victim of this ugly and unfair system. It is our fault that we could not protect him. We are all responsible for his death," demonstrators claim.