Rights defenders removed from girl's death case in Adjara

After human rights defenders demanded to open a case on law enforcers' and social worker's negligence, the family of the girl who committed suicide in Kobuleti refused from the advocates provided by the NGO "Partnership for Human Rights".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on February 9, a 14-year-old girl committed suicide. Before that, she confessed to her family that in 2020 she was raped by a 23-year-old man. Having learned about the rape, one of her relatives beat the girl up and threatened to kill her. The social worker knew about the girl's condition, but the girl was not provided with psychologist's help.

On March 8, activists of the women's rights movement in Tbilisi demanded to punish those responsible for the girl's death.

The girl's older sister is regarded the suffered party victim in the death case; on sister's behalf the lawyers of the NGO "Partnership for Human Rights" were involved.

The lawyers have noted in their report that the girl had been interrogated several times in an adverse environment – that is, without the participation of a lawyer and a psychologist. Investigators also failed to take measures to establish the reasons of injuries found on the girl's body. According to the lawyers of the above NGO, investigators had unreasonably protracted the initiation of a criminal case; and the rape victim was given no chance to undergo a rehabilitation course.

"The NGO believes that this case is a vivid proof of the weakness of the child protection system in Georgia," the report says.