MIA Investigation Rejects Alleged Police Assault in Turtle Lake
The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs has released a statement saying they have already completed an investigation into the case concluding that Lika Kikiani was not assaulted by police near Turtle Lake.
“Due to the high public interest provoked by the incident that happened in the vicinity of Turtle Lake, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia conducted an inquiry shortly after the video from Lika Kikiani was disseminated on the internet and checked all the circumstances that Lika Kikiani depicts in the video mentioned above,” said the statement.
“The General Inspection under the MIA has procured video evidence and interviewed every person involved in the incident. It is noteworthy that Lika Kikiani herself refused to give any explanations and did not go to the General Inspection,” the statement says.
According to the information, Kikiani had alleged that she was physically assaulted by up to 20 police officers and named – Grigol B. – who allegedly helped her and was severely beaten by officers afterwards. “It is worth noting that video footage reviewed by us clearly shows that Lika Kikiani and Grigol B. freely entered and left the Vake Police building. She also politely waves farewell to the police officers. According to Grigol B., the officers did not harm Lika Kikiani and he denies being subjected to any physical abuse by police officers himself,” added the statement.
The statement maintains that Kikiani’s claims about being severely beaten and suffering multiple injuries as a result are groundless: “It was established that medics from the ambulance crew did not detect any visible injuries and offered to transport her to the hospital, which she declined. This was entered in the ambulance activity records”.
Kikiani, who initially published a video address to Georgian public, allowed media representatives to make video recordings of injuries apparently inflicted on her body. Kikiani, manager of a nearby club “Vitamin”, also believed that the incident may have been captured on CCTV.
The alleged victim, 21-year-old manager Kikiani, demands an independent investigation of the incident. The Head of Turtle Lake’s Security Service says that no one has requested the CCTV material, which Kikiani believes in itself gives grounds for further investigation.
Ana Natsvlishvili, Chairwoman of Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) said that the Prosecutor’s Office should pursue the video recordings.
Kikiani has speculated that police may be attempting to delay the investigation so that CCTV records are automatically deleted.
Steven Jones