The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia has considered the Public Defender’s recommendation of 9 February 2018 and reopened an investigation into the alleged ill-treatment of D.P. by police officers.

The Public Defender welcomes the decision of the Prosecutor's Office and assesses it positively, as she considers that the ineffective investigation of the cases of ill-treatment is one of the most problematic issues in terms of protection of human rights.

The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia ended the investigation into the alleged ill-treatment of citizen D.P. in November 2017 on the motive of absence of crime. However, the examination of the investigation materials by the Public Defender's Office showed that the investigation could not rule out the ill-treatment and therefore, the investigation was not complete:

• Not all the available investigative activities were conducted to obtain neutral evidence;
• The Prosecutor's Office ruled out the offense only on the basis of police questioning documents, according to which, at the time of the crime, they were not at the place indicated by D.P.;
• No investigative activities were conducted to establish the whereabouts of the police officers through more convincing sources;
• The investigative agency did not carry out investigative activities to establish the degree of D.P.’s injuries;
• The police officers, accused of ill-treatment by D.P., were not questioned.

The Public Defender of Georgia expresses hope that all the above-mentioned deficiencies will be eliminated and the resumed investigation will be effective and thorough.