Non-governmental organizations: We express outrage over the act of torture that occurred inside a police station, which resulted in the death of Alan Kakhi­tashvili – today, in 2025, people are still being killed inside police stations

We express our outrage over the act of torture that took place in a police station in Tbilisi, which resulted in the death of Alan Kakhi­tashvili, — said Nino Lomjaria, Executive Director of Georgia's European Orbit.

At the briefing, it was stated that Alan Kakhitashvili, an employee of the Tbilisi City Hall's sanitation service, was transferred to a clinic from the Gldani-Nadzaladevi police department on June 7 in a comatose state, with nausea and respiratory failure, where he died despite intensive treatment.

According to NGOs, witness Tatunashvili testified that police officers were also beating him — “they climbed and jumped on him while at the same time, he could hear Alan’s desperate cries from another room in the police station.”

The NGOs state that the Ministry of Internal Affairs claims Alan Kakhitashvili felt unwell during questioning.

“We, the undersigned Georgian non-governmental organizations, express our outrage over the act of torture that took place in a police station in Tbilisi, which led to the death of Alan Kakhitashvili.

According to reports, Alan Kakhitashvili, an employee of the City Hall’s sanitation service, was transferred from questioning at the Gldani-Nadzaladevi police department to a clinic on June 7 in a comatose state, suffering from nausea and respiratory failure. Despite surgery and intensive care, he passed away.

A friend of Alan’s, Irakli Tatunashvili, who was also being questioned, testified in court that during questioning, he heard Alan’s “desperate” voice. According to him, the screaming stopped, and 15–20 minutes later, an ambulance arrived and took Alan away.

Tatunashvili also told the court about the torture he experienced. He said the police officers severely beat him. In the room he was taken to, there were about six officers, including high-ranking officials. During questioning, he was severely beaten, thrown to the floor, and jumped on.

Another witness, Dimitri Sadoev, also spoke of police brutality. He had been detained along with Kakhitashvili and Tatunashvili. He told investigators that from the police chief’s office, he heard the sounds of beating and shouting while Alan and Irakli were inside. According to the lawyer, Sadoev saw how Tatunashvili was dragged out beaten from the chief’s office, though he did not see Alan. He accuses officers Kakhaber Papinashvili and Lasha Tskhvitari of torture.

The Ministry presented surveillance footage from the perimeter of a restaurant, which is irrelevant to the investigation into the torture of Kakhitashvili and the other detainees. The footage shows a fight, but also shows that Alan and the others left the area unharmed — suggesting the ministry released these images for propaganda purposes, to distract from the crime of torture that occurred inside the police station.

Alan was last seen alive in the Gldani-Nadzaladevi police department. A few hours later, he was unconscious. A few days later — dead.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he merely felt unwell during questioning. But for us, and for Georgian society, it is already clear: Alan was tortured inside the station.

This is not a suspicion — this is a well-grounded accusation, based on:

Testimony from witness Tatunashvili, who said police beat him, jumped on him while he was on the floor, and he heard Alan's desperate screams from another room;

Statements from other witnesses that Alan had no external injuries before arrest but entered the clinic in a comatose state;

Publicly available video footage showing Alan leaving the scene on his own, fully able to move.

Today, in 2025, people are still being killed inside police stations. From inside these buildings, instead of justice, we hear the desperate cries of human beings. We do not believe the myth that “he fainted during questioning.” He was not simply unconscious — his consciousness was taken from him. His life was taken from him.

This is torture. This is a grave violation of human rights, carried out inside a state institution, by the hand of a state official.

We demand:

The immediate identification of the police officers and officials involved in the interrogation;

Their arrest and criminal prosecution under charges of torture;

A transparent, full, and effective investigation by the Special Investigative Service.

We stand with Alan’s family. We mourn because we see a citizen killed by the hand of the state.

Sadly, we can no longer save Alan. But we can hold his torturers and their protectors accountable — and prevent the next victim.”