"Mother, I’m leaving you alone but I can’t help it." These were the final words of Samtredia resident Demur Sturua, before he took his own life in August 2016.
It was not a mere farewell letter, as Sturua, 22, made sure to identify the police officer, Goderdzi Tevzadze, who he said had beaten and pressured him into testifying against someone else.
Sturua’s efforts turned out to be fruitless. A year later, Kutaisi City Court acquitted Tevzadze of exceeding official powers and bringing a person to the point of suicide, in a verdict the EMC rights group called "astonishing".
