Family of Joni Abuladze Tried Under the Charge of Complicity in Acts of Terrorism Requests to Get Acquainted with Verdict

Information Agency Pirveli

The family members of Joni Abuladze tried under the charge of complicity in acts of terrorism in September-October of 2010 request to get acquainted with the verdict.

As the family members notified Pirveli, they were contacted by the lawyer who they do not know. The lawyer told them that the hearings ended in the court but did not say what the court decision was.

During the hearing in Appellate Court the family stated that Abuladze was physically pressured to confess.

Back then the family members of Abuladze stated to Pirveli that the lawyer contacted them the first time after 10-month silence and notified that the case was appealed and the hearing in the Appellate court was scheduled for August 12th.

“The lawyer who we do not know called us and told us that neither Joni, nor his spouse Mariam Nikolava confessed the crime. They were ill-treated and were forced to confess the crime. The lawyer also told us that my grandchild who has been sentenced to 30 years in prison is serving sentence in one of the prisons of Rustavi and is severely beaten,” – grandmother of Joni Abuladze Tina Abuladze stated to Pirveli.

As for Mariam Nikolava, as the lawyer informed the family the first instance court sentenced him to 15 years in prison.

Pirveli reported a while ago that the family of Abuladze was requesting from the relevant state bodies to provide information about Abuladze and his wife.

As Tina Abuladze told Pirveli, the family found out about the verdict from the media and has been trying in vain to ascertain the current location and whereabouts of the convict.

“The only time we received information was when the unidentified individual called us last year from the secret number and told us about the detention of my grandchild. We were unable to receive information since then. We found out about the verdict from the newspaper. We did not know where Joni was and what he was doing. We could not manage to receive any information. It is understandable that the case is filed under Griffith “secret” but does not family have a right to know whether or not he is alive?! We know nothing about his wife either,” – Tina Abuladze states.

The situation is the same regarding the main figure of the case Lela Khurtsilava. Since the case is filed under the Griffith “secret” it is impossible to receive information from the official departments. Neither the family members have information about her current state and whereabouts.

It should be noted that these two women disappeared from the verdict of the civil court as well.

Despite the fact that the case is filed under the Griffith “secret” the Code on Imprisonment obligates the Ministry of Corrections and Legal Assistance of Georgia to notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) and the family of the detained in three days after the detention.

On December 4th of the last year the MIA detained following individuals under the charge of organization, fulfillment and assistance with the series of explosions in the territory of Georgia – Gogita Arkania, Joni Abuladze, Maram Nikolava, Gocha Khurtsilava, Goderdzi Arkania and Lela Khurtsilava.

Later Georgian law-enforcement detained Merab Kolbaia AKA “Kochoia” and one more accomplice Davit Kekutia under the charge of organization of the act of terrorism. The search was announced over one more organizer Murman Tskhadaia.

According to the case materials, the employee of special services located in the territory of Abkhazia occupied by Russia Evgeni Borisov and Murman Tskhadaia who worked in the military base under construction in the village Chuburkhinji of Gali region founded a terrorist organization with the aims to intimidate the population in different regions, to incite violence and impede the strategic, political and economic state interests. Borisov and Tskhadaia with the help of Tskhadaia, Arkania, Kolbaia and others carried out numerous acts of terrorism in 2009-2010 in the regions of Samegrelo which caused the casualty. Particularly, on November 28th of 2010 in Tbilisi on the street of Javakhishvili the citizen Nino Gordeziani died as a result of act of terrorism carried out in the territory surrounding the central office of Labor Party.

Later the court passed life sentence against Mukhran Tskhadaia and 30-year imprisonment sentence against Evgeni Borisov and Melor Tskhadaia, all three under search. 30-30-year imprisonment sentences were passed against Merab Kolbaia, Gogita Arkania, Joni Abuladze, Gocha Khurtsilava and Davit Kekutia as an aggregate of crimes.