Murdered or Drowned? The family requests Investigation from the government

                                                                                     

It has been a year after the suspicious death of Elguja Akhalaia the resident of Chkhorotskhu district. There are several unofficial versions about the death of the young man. The relatives state he was killed and thrown into the river.

Elguja Akhalaia went to the river together with his neighbors and never returned.  By official version the young man was drowned in the river, but the father of the dead disagrees with it categorically and requests investigation. He has applied to the law enforcement bodies and requested them to interrogate the persons who were with his son in the river. But his request was neglected.

The criminal case was launched and four investigators have been changed already, but there is no result. The father of the dead young man has held a rally several times in front of the police station, but in vain.

As the victimized Tamushaa Akhalaia said, the deputy head of the district police department Bari Keburia told her they were busy with the thieves of cows and not with murderers and sent her to the regional police department. The woman remained surprised with the reply and she applied to the prosecution according to his suggestion. After she could not get any answer from the prosecutor’s office she held a rally in front of their office.. About two hundreds of people took part in it and blamed the law enforcement institutions in inactivity.

The family members of the dead man say the police is dragging the case on purpose in order to protect their colleague from criminal liability. The family states that the policeman Dato Sichinava has killed Elguja Akhalaia. Nato Kemularia the wife of Akhalaia states that the criminal was not even questioned. As she proves the police has intimidated witness as well.

“Elguja was with our neighbors on the river bank. The policeman Dato Sichinava was also there who had stabbed my husband in the neck. As they told us Elguja lost his consciousness, hit his head to the stone and then he died. Sichinava threw the dead into the water and warned everyone not to say a word about it. But we learned everything what had happened. Elguja was found in the water under a large stone; my husband did not drown as police is claiming. The dead had the trace of violence on the body. One of the witnesses said that policeman had killed the young man. But the regional and district police are suspiciously passive and they have not even questioned the real offender. We want the criminal to be punished fairing accordance to the law. We are in a very bad condition. I have three under age children. They do not want to arrest the murderer, but we will not stop our struggle for justice.”

The father of Elguja Akhalaia will render the justice himself unless the investigation prolongs. “I demand them to tell me why my son was killed and why the murderer was not arrested. If the police do not investigate the murder, I will burn their office and the house of the murderer. I have not heard the proper reply from them for more than one year. When I go to the district police station, they send me to the regional police station; the latter sends me to the general prosecutor’s office in Tbilisi. I cannot stand similar situation any more. They compel me to take extreme measures. There is no justice in this country. According to one of the versions, eight people, among them my son went to the River Khobistskali to settle some problem. Two years ago, Levan Kvekveskiri had taken money from Kvirkvaias in exchange of nuts but the former did not give them the nuts on time. Gocha and Zuriko Kvirkvaias demanded additional money for the delay. My son supported Kvekveskiri – “Levan is a young man and do not demand so much money from him; it is shameful.” Apparently, he was killed for these words. I do not know what they hit him in the head – a butt, a stone or a hand, but he was killed and then thrown into the water. The policemen Gocha Kvirkvaia and Davit Sichinava also took part in the negotiation and they wanted to hush up the murder. I am sure at 99% that Davit Sichinava killed my son. I think so and the investigation is entitled to find the real murderer; however, they do not do anything. The investigator Paata Arakhamia did not allow the doctor to examine the corpse saying the doctors were not on the place; though the doctors were there. So much false assures me that they are protecting the real offender and want to hush up the murder. Everybody respected my son and he had no rivals. So, the murderer shall be punished for his murder.”

We visited the Chkhorotskhu district police station regarding the case. The police have not had the head for several months already. The former police head is now the chairman of the municipal board. The interim police head is Badri Keburia, who does not comment on the murder of Elguja Akhalaia. He categorically denies the fact that he had told Tamusha Akhalaia they were busy with the thieves of cows and not with murderers.

We could not interview Davit Sichinava. He was interrogated at the regional police department at that moment. We called him on the phone but as soon as he heard the journalist was calling him, he shouted at us: “I have nothing to talk about with you.”

The family members of the dead young man threat with the rallies in future too. After the office of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti regional police department they will go to the capital and hold protest rallies in front of the parliament.