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False Testimony Keeps Fanchulidze in Prison

December 26, 2005

False Testimony Keeps Fanchulidze in Prison

22 year-old Dato Fanchulidze is detained for the murder of 17 year-old Goga Fanchulidze for more than one year now. The death took place on April 21st 2004. He was accused on the bases of a testimony by a witness. The day after giving the testimony the witness applied to the Public Defenders office and declared that the declaration was written under physical and moral pressure and that he had not seen anything. “The police forced me to write everything, they were beating me and made me write that I saw how Dato injured Goga with a knife and then ran away. I left the wedding where the incident happened early and did not see anything. “ said Shota Mefaridze.

The fact that the witness was physically abused is established by a commission of medical experts.

After Shota Mefaridze’s testimony Fanchulidze was detained.
The mother of the accused says that on the third day her son called from prison at 4 a.m. “One of the policemen allowed him to make a phone call. They saw that those could possibly be his last words with his family. Dato called me he was crying “Mother, they are killing me - please hire a lawyer!”.” said Izo Fanchulidze.

The day after, the advocate asked for a medical examination to be conducted, but the investigator did not allow this. Only with the help of the public defender the examination was held. It showed that there were marks of severe physical abuse on his body. He was strongly injured in the head and after which epilepsy developed. He was moved to the prison hospital. In spite of physical abuse police could not obtain his confession.

Advocate Dali Sulakvelidze speaks about other errors in the investigation procedure. She says that police works only on the version according to which Dato Fanchulidze injured Goga and ran away. She says that investigators on purpose did not take into consideration important facts and did not try to find the real murderer. “There were five quarrels during the wedding. Those persons are not questioned. The investigator did not ask for the reason of those quarrels. Before dying Giga Fanchulidze said he got injured when he was parting fighters, this is what his relative says.”

To receive a comment from the police and the Prosecutor’s Office was impossible. The Head of the Terjola Police Department Temur Isakadze is dismissed from his post. He is accused of support of criminal gangs. Investigator Mamuka Khitarishvili is dismissed as well. The regional prosecutor who is supposed to monitor the case refuses to give comments.


Those persons who are responsible for the fact that Dato Fanchulidze is detained are no more on their posts. Dato Fanchulidze is imprisoned, he is in a bad state and is treated with strong medicaments. He hopes for justice to be delivered during the trial.

Ann Chkhaidze

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