Next Murder in Gali Prison

On the 27th of September, at 17:15 the officer-on-duty found the detainee hung in the pre-trial detention cell of Gali district. According to Abkhazians the detainee hung himself with the pieces of his own cloths. He turned out to be Kalenike Kishmaria, a resident of the village Chuburkhinji in Gali district.

Abkhazian policeman detained Kalenike Kishmaria on the 24th of September, 2006. According to their information Kishmaria had been wanted since 2004. Besides that it is also pointed out that the person had been wanted by the Georgian law enforcers as well. Kishmaria was charged for stealing a lorry ‘MAZ’.

On the day when Kishmaria was detained, the Abkhazian policeman found a weapon ‘AKS 5, 45-calibers’ in the Gali district area. On the 27th of September, when he committed suicide they found the stolen car too. 

K. Kishmaria’s body was given to his family only on the third day and on the 6th of October he was buried in Chuburkhinji. As Kishmaria’s neighbors and relatives say he did not commit suicide. They categorically deny the fact and declare that Otar Turnanba has beaten 22-year-old young man to death.

In the past Turnanba used to be a chief of illegal armed formations and he has killed many innocent Georgians. Turnanba has been appointed as a deputy head of the Gali district Abkhazian Militia Department since Bagafsh came into power. Local people underline the fact that Turnanba had married Bagafsh’s cousin before being appointed on his position.

Several months ago Turnanba beat Giorgi Tsaguria to death, who was a resident in the village of Ghumurishi, Gali district, and then he hung him up with his cloths in the cell. Thus Kishmaria’s murdering is not strange for Turnanba.

As for Georgian law enforcers, more precisely the Head of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Regional Police Department within Interior Ministry, Merab Gergaia, who represents Georgian side in the Georgian-Abkhazian four-party negotiations, states that Kalenike Kishmaria had been wanted and he really killed himself. It is difficult to find out whether the detainee really committed suicide, especially when no examination has been carried out. Moreover, the family members say that there were bruises on the killed detainee’s body, his limbs and teeth were broken. 

Nato Berulava, Zugdidi