Human Rights Center Again Requested Interrogation of Teimuraz Gvaradze

Natia Gogolashvili 

Convicted Teimuraz Gvaradze told lawyer of Human Rights Center that he has very significant information about the death of former Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania and so-called Lapankuri special operation of 2012. Representatives of Human Rights Center spoke about the issue at the press-conference on February 5.

According to Teimuraz Gvaradze, he is former sniper and member of security guard of ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili. Currently, Gavardze is in prison.

On November 15, 2012 Teimuraz Gravadze was released from imprisonment. He said after the release he was under permanent oppression because he had significant information and was serious threat for certain people. In May 2013, Teimuraz Gvaradze was repeatedly arrested for thievery and as he claims he was tortured to get his confession statement. Tbilisi City Court sentenced him to five-year-imprisonment under Article 177 of the Criminal Code of Georgia.

Human Rights Center addresses to the Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia to interrogate Teimuraz Gvaradze in presence of his lawyer. The human rights defenders have been requesting interrogation of the prisoner for several months in vain.

“It is significant that this topic became urgent after judge Davit Mgeliashvili read prisoner Teimuraz Gvaradze’s letter at the trial into Zurab Zhvania’s death case in the Tbilisi City Court. The prisoner wrote in his letter that he knows details about Zurab Zhvania’s death fact,” executive director of Human Rights Center Aleko Tskitishvili said.

Several weeks ago Human Rights Center talked with Teimuraz Gvaradze on the phone but the conversation dropped after he started speaking about current ministers, who, according to his allegation, witnessed Zurab Zhvania’s murder.

“This incident happened in Kakheti. Two people, who witnessed this fact, are now ministers,” Teimuraz Gvardze said but refrained from naming those people during his conversation with us. 

Nestan Londaridze, lawyer of Human Rights Center, said liquidation of Teimuraz Gvardaze was planned during the so-called Lapankuri special operation; the prisoner personally told her about it.

Teimuraz Gvaradze said that in 2012 during imprisonment three persons visited him in prison and asked him to take part in the special operation, namely to liquidate terrorists during exchange of gunfire. After the special operation Gvaradze was taken back to the penitentiary establishment. 

“I found only nine men on the place. They were peaceful soldiers, my soldiers; but now nobody speaks about it at all. They say those people were terrorists, that they had hostages. Simply, the former government and President Saakashvili personally ordered those boys to give weapon to several citizens of Dagestan. They did not have any hostages at all; they brought three young people from Dagestan, who had to show way to them. I personally witnessed how they shot the four soldiers in sleeping sacks; some of them ran away and they survived,” Teimuraz Gvaradze said.

Lawyer Nestan Londaridze said it is important that Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia interrogated Teimuraz Gvaradze in presence of his lawyer and checked the facts he is speaking about. The lawyer said the security of the prisoner, as an under-risk witness, must be ensured.