Giorgi Barateli Requests Repeated Investigation into Guram Sharadze’s Murder

Nino Mikiashvili, For.ge

On October 18, I met Giorgi Barateli, convicted for the murder of Guram Sharadze in Ortachala prison # 1 along with with former MP, Dimitry Lortkipanidze, and a leader of the Resistance Movement, Soso Manjavidze and talked for one hour.

Barateli repeatedly requested investigation into Guram Sharadze’s  murder and to meet with his lawyer for that purpose. He said he did not killed Guram Sharadze.

He confirmed that he had admitted to the murder of Guram Sharadze at the trial. He had also previously confirmed  the same with Dimitry Lortkipanidze, who had met Barateli in prison in 2010 based on my petition. In 20120 law enforcement institutions had hid information about Barateli’s whereabouts from me, so I petitioned Lortikpanidze, who was deputy chair of the Human Rights Committee at the Parliament at that time. Also during this time, the member of the parliamentary majority, Eka Kherkheulidze, also met Barateli together with Lortkipanidze.

Giorgi Barateli clarified that he saved his own life and security when admitting to the murder of Guram Sharadze at the trial and during the meeting with Dimitry Lortkipanidze and Eka Kherkheulidze.

Barateli said that on May 20, 2007, on the day when Guram Sharadze was assassinated, police officers wounded him but not at the scene of incident but in another place. He even showed a wound on his right leg and named the hospital where he was taken to.

When we asked whether he was abused in prison he said nobody had ever abused him in the penitentiary establishment. “However, there is still the point of what happened before I was placed into custody”. When we inquired further, he said he would only mention details.

I told him that Sharadze’s daughter, Rusudan Sharadze, has been claiming that Barateli was not her father’s murderer; I also told him that Rusudan Sharadze intends to arrive in Georgia and appeal to the relevant institutions.

I had asked the candidate for the chief prosecutor of Georgia, Archil Kbilashvili, whether they intended to thoroughly investigate into Sharadze’s murder, to which he affirmed that they would necessarily study this case.

Giorgi Barateli asked me to tell just three words to Rusudan Sharadze: “You were right.”

Based on verbal agreement with Giorgi Barateli, next week his lawyer, Mamuka Nozadze, will visit him in prison. I suggested Barateli Nozadze’s as a candidate for his future lawyer because he is one of the bravest, and most professional and faithful of people. We also gave Barateli our cell phone numbers to get in touch with us in case of necessity.

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