On 12 March 2019, the State Security Service of Georgia released a statement about alleged suicide committed by Irakli Kvaratskhelia, born in the Gali district in 1990. According to the de facto authorities, the Georgian citizen was arrested for the so-called illegal border crossing.

The Public Defender of Georgia expresses deep sorrow over the death of Irakli Kvaratskhelia during his unlawful imprisonment and calls on the Georgian authorities to use all international mechanisms to ensure effective investigation of the case and punishment of alleged perpetrators.

The reports spread by the local population about alleged ill-treatment of Irakli Kvaratskhelia during his detention are concerning and need to be studied. The Public Defender expresses hope that Kvaratskhelia's body will be transferred to the Georgian authorities in the shortest possible time to allow the relevant agency to carry out the autopsy in time and determine the cause of death.

The Public Defender of Georgia notes that the detention of Georgian citizen Irakli Kvaratskhelia for the so-called illegal border crossing represents an illegal deprivation of liberty, which, according to our information, occurs quite frequently and is a gross violation of citizens' freedom of movement and security by the occupation forces.

The Public Defender considers that this case once again demonstrates the necessity of presence of international and independent human rights monitoring mechanisms in the occupied territories and calls on the Georgian authorities and the international community to take more effective steps to protect human rights in the occupied territories.