Daughter of the Activist of “Georgian Dream” Journalist Sopho Nikolashvili Arrested for the Attempted Murder Charge

ICK

Kakheti regional prosecutor’s office arrested journalist Sopho Nikolashvili under the charge of attempted premeditated murder. Journalist’s father, Dato Nikolashvili is an activist of public movement “Georgian Dream”.

in the attempted of the murder of police officer Giorgi Sibashvili.

Kakheti region prosecutor Giorgi Chiviashvili said the criminal case was launched under Article 19/108 of the Criminal Code of Georgia. Sopho Nikolashvili is in Telavi pretrial detention setting. At the moment she is meeting her attorney.

According to the ICK’s information, the accident occurred in the evening of January 31 in Gurjaani. Law enforcement officers reported that Sopho Nikolashvili intended to shoot Giorgi Sibashvili from her father’s gun but the latter seized the firearm from her.

Giorgi Sibashvili is an officer at the Kakheti main department of the MIA. His father, Gocha Sibashvili is deputy chief police officer of Gurjaani district.

Sopho Nikolashvili worked for the newspaper Kakhetis Khma from 2008 to August of 2011.

The ICK called the detainee’s father Davit Nikolashvili who said he did not know the details about the incident.

If the charge is proved, Sopho Nikolashvili, 20, faces imprisonment from 7 to 15 years for the attempted murder.

Police officers say in backdoors that Sopho Nikolashvili loved Giorgi Sibashvili.

According to the verified information, the ICK reports that Gurjaani district police officers questioned the journalist without lawyer. Giorgi Sibashvili personally took the journalist to the police station, where initially the chief police officer Giorgi Keratishvili and then his deputy Ilia Otarashvili questioned her during one and half hour. Sopho Nikolashvili requested them several times to invite her lawyer during interrogation but the chief police officers did not satisfy her request. The Gurjaani district police drew up the detention protocol only five hours after her real detention, by 23:00 pm.

Lawyers clarify that in accordance to the Criminal Procedural Law the police was required to notify Nikolashvili’s family members about her detention at the moment of detention. However, the law enforcement officers informed the family only this morning, on February 1.

The family members told the ICK that they were looking for the girl in hospitals and among relatives all night long.