Opposition politician Elene Khoshtaria, along with seven women victims, has addressed a letter to the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, complaining about the practice of forced stripping in temporary detention centers, according to the Droa (Time) party.
Elene Khoshtaria and the co-signatories are calling on the Commissioner to use all mechanisms at his disposal to end this degrading practice and hold all those responsible accountable.
“The OSCE report within the framework of the ‘Moscow Mechanism’ clearly indicated that cases of forced stripping are not merely procedural violations, but a systemic violation of human rights. This practice is one of the pillars of a broader, state-organized system of torture,” the appeal states.
According to the signatories, documenting such cases is not enough to end the degrading practice of forced stripping of detainees; the perpetrators must be punished. They argue that holding them accountable is the only effective deterrent against the normalization of torture.
“The continuous resistance, resilience, and endurance of Georgian citizens participating in protests show that stability cannot be established in the country without the restoration of justice and the recognition of human dignity as a supreme value,” the appeal reads.