Lead investigator, three officers arrested for torture in Abkhazia

Lead investigator Badri Jikirba and three investigators have been arrested in Abkhazia.  

They have been charged with torture with particular cruelty, which led to the death of a detainee. However, they are currently only under house arrest.

The victim’s name was Anzor Tarba, he was detained on July 9 on suspicion of involvement in the abduction in April 2019 of Omar Mirtskhulava.

•Why robbing tourists on the Abkhaz beach is so easy

•Alcohol, speeding and corruption – Abkhazia’s terrifying road safety statistics

There are still no official details of how Anzor Tarba died. The first and only evidence was a message on social media from an anonymous source that Tarba died after being tortured. In the comments to the post was attached a photo of his body in numerous bruises and abrasions.

According to Ombudswoman Ashida Shakryl, Anzor Tarba was taken to the Ministry of Internal Affairs on July 11, where he died after being interrogated.

The Ombudswoman and several public organisations of Abkhazia made statements demanding from the authorities a full investigation of the circumstances of Tarba’s death and the punishment of the perpetrators.

President Raul Khajimba held a special meeting in connection with this case.

Meanwhile, despite the wide public response, the police decided to support their detained colleagues and staged a protest demonstration outside the building of the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Interior Minister Garri Arshba ordered them to disperse, but they continued the demonstration at the Supreme Court building, where the issue of the arrest measure of detainees during the investigation was being considered.

Toponyms and terminology used in the article, and views, opinions and strategies expressed in it do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of JAMnews or any employees thereof. JAMnews reserves the right to delete comments it considers to be offensive, inflammatory, threatening, or otherwise unacceptable.