Tatunashvili ‘Presumably’ Tortured, Forensic Expert Says

Irakli Toidze, a forensic expert at the Tbilisi-based Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture – Empathy, says Archil Tatunashvili’s body had “multiple [blunt] injuries, scratches and bruises almost all over the body.”

Toidze, who attended the forensic examination at the National Forensics Bureau on behalf of the center, told the media outlets today that “based on the injuries [on Archil Tatunashvili’s body], we can presumably say that he was tortured.”

The forensic expert, however, rejected earlier reports that Tatunashvili was missing a finger.

The Empathy Center issued a written statement as well, stressing the necessity of conducting a complex examination “in line with the international standards, including the Istanbul and the Minnesota Protocols.”

“There are many facts indicating that the Russian-Ossetian examination was aimed at hiding the traces [of torture], and we consider it essential that a complex examination is conducted in line with international standards,” said Mariam Jishkariani, director of the Empathy Center.