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According to Experts' Conclusion 10-month-old Child Was Alive When Dropped in Wine-Pot

October 26, 2012
Natalia Sarkisashvili, Information Center of Kakheti

Lawyers of the Coalition Georgian Dream spoke about the conclusion of forensic experts on the murder of 10-month-old Barbare Rapalyan. According to the conclusion, the 10-month-old girl was dropped in the wine-pot, “qvevri”,  alive and the cause of her death was asphyxia: liquid was found in her respiratory system.

Reportedly, on September 30, in the evening, Barbare Rapalyan was found in the qvevri full of water in the marani [room for storing special pitchers of wine] next to the bedroom in a house in Kolagi village, Gurjaani district. On top of the qvevri  a stone had been placed. An investigation was launched into the possibility of premeditated murder. The Kakheti regional department of the MIA is investigating the facts. Before the experts' conclusion was published, investigators assumed that a kidnapper had suffocated the child before dropping her in the pot.

The mother links the murder with the parliamentary elections of October 1. “I connect the elections with this murder; maybe somebody wanted to blame others for this crime or somebody ordered them to kill my daughter,” Tatia Mekerishvili said and added that before the accident, her family members were threatened because her sister represented Georgian Dream at the polling station.

Tatia Mekerishvili alleges that on the previous night, September 29, she heard National Movement’s activists – Ilia, Giorgi and Zurab Mekerishvili threatening supporters of Georgian Dream.

“I was going home from the shop; three men were sitting and I heard them saying “Throwing a hand grenade into the neighbor’s house will not be enough and now we will see what will happen to the residents of the 'motorway district'”. Those men were Ilia Mekerishvili, Zurab Mekerishvili and Giorgi Mekerishvili. They are relatives of the former regional governor of Kakheti Giorgi Gviniashvili; they arrived in the village before the elections,” Tatia Mekerishvili told ICK.

Zurab Mekerishvili and his brothers Giorgi and Ilia come from Kolagi village. According to the ICK, Ilia Mekerishvili lives in Chalaubani, whilst Giorgi Mekerishvili lives in Tbilisi and works at a law enforcement agency.

ICK tried to interview Ilia and Giorgi Mekerishvili with regard to the accusations but they did not comment on the issue.

The Mekerishvili brothers are relatives of Giorgi Gviniashvili; he was the majoritarian candidate of National Movement for the parliamentary elections of October 1. He won the elections and became the MP of Gurjaani district.

Various media sources spread unverified information suggesting it was in the interests of Gviniashvili to kidnap the child in order to threaten the pro-opposition family. On the night of the accident, before the elections, Georgian Dream’s majoritarian candidate in Gurjaani district Manana Berikashvili also made a statement about the accident. She requested the arrest of Giorgi Gviniashvili for the kidnapping and murder of the baby girl. “Before the accident, the family was threatened several times; this evening they kidnapped child and killed her. Giorgi Gviniashvili shall be punished for it because he encouraged violence in the district and many crimes were committed with his support,” Manana Berikashvili said.

Giorgi Gviniashvili denied accusations the same evening.

On October 14, the acting minister of the interior Eka Zguladze said that investigation of Barbare Rapalyan’s death was being carried out thoroughly. “Investigators went to Kolagi from Tbilisi too.  The regional department is actively working on the case; experts have been consulted but we will refrain from speaking about other details in the interests of the investigation,” said Zguladze.

Police have not arrested anyone for the accident yet.

On October 23, the parliamentary minority asked the candidate for the position of the minister of interior, Irakli Garibashvili, to personally monitor the ongoing investigation into Barbare Rapalyan’s death. MP Giorgi Gviniashvili personally applied to the minister-to-be with this request. He said the accident shall be investigated without delay and society shall have detailed information about what happened in Kolagi. Garibashvili promised the parliamentary minority to personally monitor the investigation.

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