Police allegedly drives 15-year-old to attempted suicide

A 15-year old attempted suicide after being interrogated for three hours at the police station. The juvenile jumped from the 9th floor of a residential building and is currently in a coma.

“The juvenile tried to commit suicide because of the psychological abuse perpetrated by the employees of the investigative body,” said Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) in a statement.

The young boy was psychologically abused to confess the crime that the police were investigating. He was threatened that if he did not comply, his brother would face problems and that he would have to spend a long time in a detention facility.

“The psychological abuse and intimidation by the police officers were so intense and real that the juvenile felt sick during the interrogation and asked for medical attention, but the assistance was not provided. The juvenile's mother was also present during the interrogation process, however the juvenile was left alone with police officers at some point,” says the statement of GYLA.

GYLA addressed the State Inspector’s office to launch an investigation into the case. The investigation was launched under Article 335 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which involves coercion of a person by deception, blackmail or other unlawful act by an official to provide an explanation or evidence.

The brother of a 15-year-old also said that his brother was threatened at the police station and was forced to confess to the crime.

The juvenile was interrogated for spray-painting "Life Sucks" on the walls of the private school that he previously attended.

The Georgian Centre for Psychological and Medical Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (GCRT) has also issued a statement, addressing the State Inspector and Public Defender’s offices to promptly investigate all circumstances related to the attempted suicide.

According to the statement, local and international mechanisms, including The Juvenile Justice Code of Georgia obliges all professionals involved in the process to have the best interests of the child as the guiding principle, to understand the age-appropriate characteristics and risky circumstances that may harm and impair the child’s physical or emotional well-being and development potential.

“Any professional involved in litigation must be familiar with the principles and ethical norms of local and international law, possess specialized knowledge and professional skills, and must ensure that all legal procedures are in place to ensure a safe environment for the child, both physically and emotionally. Consequently, coercion, threats or any physical or psychological pressure on the child can not be part of the process,” says GCRT.

Almost none of the national and international standards for interrogating a child were followed by the police.

The general comment of the Committee On the Rights Of the Child on Children’s rights in juvenile justice states that the “police officers and other investigating authorities should be well trained to avoid interrogation techniques and practices that result in coerced or unreliable confessions or testimonies.”

Not only the police officers didn’t have adequate training to conduct an interrogation of the minor, but they put significant psychological pressure on the child to confess to the crime.

The civic movement For Freedom which has been organizing #ItsaShame protests since June showed solidarity by writing the sentences on the walls across Tbilisi that the 15-year-old wrote on the walls of his former school.