The Public Defender of Georgia considers that an investigation should be launched on the basis of the statements made by the family members and lawyers of defendant Ioseb Gogashvili on August 11, 2022.

Ioseb Gogashvili's family members and lawyers stated on August 11 (https://bit.ly/3zONri8) that Ioseb Gogashvili was threatened with the arrest and physical destruction of his family members in Penitentiary Establishment No 12. According to the lawyer, (https://bit.ly/3wmVYbd), Gogashvili was taken to the bathroom several times, where he talked to the Minister of Internal Affairs by cell phone, who made threats against him and his family members. In addition, the lawyer pointed out that the phone numbers used during the above conversations are known.

The Public Defender’s Office checked the mentioned information with Ioseb Gogashvili, who is placed in Penitentiary Establishment No 12. He confirmed the information and described in detail the time, circumstances and content of the conversations.

The Public Defender believes that in order to verify the mentioned information in a timely and effective manner, the Special Investigative Service should launch an investigation in accordance with legislation.[1] As part of the investigation, both the persons named and the staff of the penitentiary establishment should be questioned, and the records of the video cameras installed on the premises of Penitentiary Establishment No 12 should be archived. The Public Defender’s Office has already applied to the Special Penitentiary Service with the request to archive the records.

In addition, the Public Defender calls on the law enforcement agency, within the scope of its competence, to ensure the physical integrity and safety of Ioseb Gogashvili's family members during investigation.

[1] According to part 1 of Article 100 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Georgia, upon receiving information about a crime, the investigator and prosecutor are obliged to launch an investigation.