“The worst thing is that the murderer is a law enforcement officer. Can you realize what it means?” Rector of the Art Academy Is Asking President Saak

On July 8, Giga Gemazashvili and Shotiko Batiashvili, 21, were killed in Tsinandali village in Telavi district. According to police, officer of the Constitutional Security Department of the MIA Davit Chotalishvili deadly wounded them. Chotalishvili shot the third person -Giorgi Datukishvili too, who tried to assist the wounded boys, but Datukishvili muffed the bullet and managed to escape the murderer.

According to the Kakheti regional department of the MIA Davit Chotalishvili was drunk when committing the crime. It is noteworthy that the press-center of the MIA did not make comment on the fact and did not release the confession testimony of the accused.

Tsinandali village residents said the reason of the murder was disagreement between the young people and the CSD officers. Shotiko Batiashvili’s relative said Davit Chotalishvili, Giga and Shotiko were old friends and the accident was result of their old disagreement.

Vazha Batiashvili, relative: “They were drunk and apparently got into a fight. Nobody knows exact reason of the murder but we think they had years-long disagreement. Years ago, the killed boys and the accused were friends. They together had quarrel with somebody and the dead boys left Chotalishvili alone in the quarrel. Maybe it is reason of the new tragedy.”

“That evening I had guests and we went to bed late at night. It was about 1:00 am when we heard gun-shot. I ran out into the street in the night-gown. The bloody boys were on the ground; soon they were put in the car and taken to hospital; but unfortunately they died on the way to hospital. The patrol police car moves around the village all the time but that night they did not turn up,” said a woman, who lives close to the scene of accident.

“I know the families of the killed boys very well; particularly Giga’s family; they had only one son. Their second child died when he was in the 10th grade of the school and Giga was their last hope. He was very smart boy. He studied in Tbilisi and arrived here on vacation,” said Gulnaz Tsikhistavi, neighbor of Giga Gemazashvili.

Telavi district court sent CSD officer to pretrial detention. Davit Chotalishvili was accused under Article 19-109 Part III “a” and Article 109 Part III “a” of the Criminal Code of Georgia.

We tried to interview the relatives of the accused officer but they did not make comments. The family has left their house in Telavi district since the murder.

The relatives of the killed boys request impartial investigation of the accident from President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili. The rector of the Tbilisi Art Academy Gia Bugadze also requested strict punishment for the murderer. “Giga Gemazashvili was one of my favorite students; he was very clever young man. I am not saying it because Giga has died. He had outstanding sense of color. He was very generous and kind person; a very skilled young man. Just imagine, he wrote an essay about Van Gogh as a poem. And you do not know how his group-mates loved him. Nobody could help loving a tall and noisy boy from Kakheti… What quarrel you are speaking about; it is impossible. I have been observing that boy for three years and have never heard that he had any disagreement or quarrel. Just the opposite, everybody knows that he was peace-dove… And a scum killed such a perfect young man… and the worst thing is that the murderer is a law enforcement officer. Can you realize what it means? It is a double crime – he not only killed a young man, he killed a talented person for Georgia! He is ten times offender; moreover he is a law enforcement officer. Can an officer shoot two bullets in the heart of a young man and then shoot a control bullet in the forehead? This scum was waiting for the young boy to die of bleeding. I think, this man is sadist and dangerous for society. I request to severely punish him under the law.”

Information Center of Kakheti reported that investigation is working on the version of necessary defense in Davit Chotalashvili’s case.

An employee of the Kakheti regional prosecutor’s office informed the Information Center of Kakheti that according to his information, Davit Chotalishvili actively participated in the dispersal of the protest demonstrations on May 26; he even received a bonus for it.

“In parallel to his general occupation in the CSD, he participated in the dispersal of the demonstrations and was in the top-ten of the cruelest dispersers from the MIA. I definitely know that the investigation is working on the version of necessary defense in order to make the less grave accusation. They try to prove that 21-year-old boys tried to assault him with knives and Chotalashvili shot them in defense. The investigation has been underway for one week already but they have not questioned the witnesses, who allege that the boys did not have knives and did not try to assault Chotalashvili,” said an official from the prosecutor’s office.

MIA and Prosecutor’s Office do not make official comments on the accident.