The Social Justice Center (SJC) has responded to the alleged ill-treatment of Papuna Lotsulashvili by police officers in Gori on May 27, stating that the incident represents yet another clear indication of what it describes as a normalized practice of inhuman treatment of detainees.
In a statement, SJC questioned why only six police officers had been detained in connection with the case, despite footage appearing to show the involvement of more officers.
“As noted in the Prosecutor’s Office statement released on May 28, six police officers have been detained in connection with the case. It remains unclear on what basis only six officers involved in the group violence were detained, while others remain without legal accountability to this day,” the organization said.
SJC also criticized the legal qualification of the charges, arguing that prosecutors had charged the detained officers under a comparatively lighter article related to violent abuse of official powers, rather than using specific criminal classifications such as torture, degrading or inhuman treatment предусмотренные by Georgia’s Criminal Code.
Organization says the proper legal qualification of the case is important not only for an effective investigation from a human rights perspective, but also for ensuring accountability and preventing future abuse.
“The current practice shows that investigations generally respond only when there is high public interest and evidence is publicly disseminated, while systemic accountability remains ignored,” SJC said, adding that the Prosecutor’s Office should respond effectively to such incidents not only after footage becomes public, but also address the responsibility of senior officials for what it described as a pattern of systemic impunity.
On May 27, police officers allegedly assaulted 28-year-old Papuna Lotsulashvili in the Kombinati settlement of Gori. Video footage of the incident was released by local media outlet Kartlis Ambebi.
Lotsulashvili’s friend, Lasha Abisonashvili, says the 28-year-old man works at the Bank of Georgia and had stepped outside during a break when a police vehicle allegedly nearly hit him, creating what he described as a dangerous situation that escalated into an argument and later physical violence.
Abisonashvili said he was also physically assaulted by police after approaching the scene in an attempt to calm the situation.
Lotsulashvili was initially detained but later released. His lawyer says an investigation against him is ongoing on charges of resisting police.
Meanwhile, the Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation under Article 333, Part 3(b) of Georgia’s Criminal Code, concerning violent abuse of official authority, which carries a prison sentence of five to eight years. A day after the incident, prosecutors announced that six police officers had been detained in connection with the case, although footage circulated publicly appears to show the participation of more than six officers.
Related story: Lawyer: Up to 10 people assaulted Papuna Lotsulashvili; arrest of 6 police officers is not enough
