On August 12, Anri Ateiba, born in 1996, was found unconscious in the temporary detention isolator of the de facto Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Gagra district. The young man died on September 14 after being in a coma for a month.

According to the de facto Ministry of Internal Affairs of Abkhazia, on July 5, Ateiba resisted the Head of the Gagra Criminal Investigation Department after being requested to undergo a drug test. Due to the above incident, Ateiba was arrested on August 7 and was charged with violence and endangering the life and health of the Head of the Gagra Criminal Investigation Department.[1]

 

On August 8, 2021, Anri Ateiba's lawyer applied to the Gagra District Prosecutor's Office, claiming that his client had multiple injuries to his body due to beatings and torture, and requested a forensic medical examination. However at 1:30 a.m. on August 12, 2021, Ateiba was found unconscious in a cell and was taken to a hospital where he died a month later.[2] According to the de facto Ministry of Internal Affairs of occupied Abkhazia, the detainee tried to commit suicide.

 

The de facto authorities of Abkhazia are full responsible for the fundamental human rights violations, including the torture and inhuman treatment of Anri Ateiba and violation of his right to life.

 

Calls on international organizations - to take an interest in the investigation of the case of Anri Ateiba and to intensify efforts to monitor human rights situation in Abkhazia.

 

Calls on the Georgian authorities - to make protection/advocacy of the rights of all ethnic groups living in the occupied territories one of the priorities of the country's domestic and foreign policies.

 

 

 

[1] Ekhokavkaza, 2021, „Anri Ateiba was found while attempting to commit suicide,” https://www.ekhokavkaza.com/a/31460198.html

[2] kavkaz-uzel, 2021, “Security officials explained the death of the detainee in Gagra by suicide”,