“Mr. President, Why Did Your Security Guard Kill My Son?”

Nino Mikiashvili

The bloody accident that happened in Moscow Avenue in Tbilisi 18 months ago is very similar to the accident that happened in Sharden-Bar three years ago which ended with the murder of 28-year-old Sandro Girgvliani. High-ranking officials of the MIA and wife of the Minister of Internal Affairs participated in the accident three years ago. But on June 11, 2008 30-year-old Vasil Amonishvili was killed by the brothers Berdzenishvili as his mother claims. This murder in Moscow Avenue has not been publicly discussed. One of the brothers was President Mikheil Saakashvili’s security guard and second brother is policeman from Isani-Samgori police department.

“We are sure in it and before we are alive we will not keep silence,” said mother of Vasil Amonishvili Gulnaz Amonishvili and aunt of the killed young man Gulsunda Mikadze. We interviewed them in the office of the community based organization “Protect the Life” on October 3.

The article was prepared based on the stories told by the mother and aunt of Vasil Amonishvili and on those few documents they held. Among those documents is the conclusion N 885/33 of the expertise of the body carried out by the National Bureau of Levan Samkharauli Forensic Expertise. The expertise was carried out based on the appeal of Vakhtang Chopliani, investigator of the Isani-Samgori division of the Police Department; the expertise started on June 17, 2008 and finished on August 29, 2008.

The investigator had four questions to the expertise: 1. the reason and date of the death; 2. to estimate the quality and age of the injuries on the body; and the connection of the injuries with the death; 3. whether Amonishvili was drunk; and 4. Blood group of the killed person.

According to the expertise Vasil Amonishvili was not drunk; as for injuries, there were bruises, hemorrhages and cuts on his body that were minor injuries and could not cause death. The body was examined inside too and the conclusion stated: “subdural and sub-non-arachnoid hematomas were found on his forehead and head. Small hematomas were in his brain too. Those injuries were made when he was alive by thick, blunt thing and they were dangerous for life which later resulted into his death.”

According to Gulnaz Amonishvili, the “thick, blunt thing” mentioned in the conclusion was knuckle-duster which was hit by the member of Saakashvili’s guard in Moscow Avenue in the yard of residential building N 41. “Backbone of my son was injured after hitting. The doctor of the intensive therapy told us “it was done by professional because he hit in the right place to kill him”.

Next day, on June 12, 2008 preliminary investigation started at Isani-Samgori police department on premeditated injury of Vasil Amonishvili (Article 117, Paragraph I of the Criminal Code of Georgia). The investigation is still underway and it is monitored by the Tbilisi Prosecutor’s Office.

“People from the same party were also interrogated but the investigation tries to hush up the participation of the brothers Berdzenishvilis in the accident,” said Gulnaz Amonishvili who added that she represents the victim at the prosecutor’s office though does not hold corresponding document.

Incident started as follows. Vasil Amonishvili, together with his fiancée, was at birthday-party of his colleague Davit Dograshvili on June 11, 2008 (Moscow Avenue N 41). 20 more people were at the party. Vasil Amonishvili worked as a security guard of the Public Registration Agency; his fiancée worked at the PRA too. “You are the guy, who did not allow me into the PRA the other day, aren’t you?” asked one of the guests to Vasil Amonishvili. Gulnaz Amonishvili learned about this dialogue after her son was already killed.

The mother recalled: “In February of 2008 my son returned home very worried. I asked him what had happened and he said “a member of Saakashvili’s guard had come to the agency and wanted to enter without his turn; since old people and people with children were standing in the queue I did not allow him to go. I said it made no difference whether he had “permit” or not. And he got angry with me” After my son died, I demanded the Public Registration Agency to show the recording of the video-camera which is usually kept for 6 months but they did not show it to me.

“If I had managed to get hold of that recording, I could have proved my truth easily but nobody showed the recording to me. I was feeling very bad and hopeless. When I was going to hire an attorney, the investigator told me “why do you need the attorney? We will protect you better than any lawyer.” Initially I believed him; my husband was veteran of the wars in Abkhazia and South Ossetia; he died in 2004. Before that he had worked 35 years in law enforcement bodies and I could not imagine that the offender would not be punished.”

Mother and aunt of Amonishvili clarified that Tamada (toast-maker) of the party in Dograshvilis’ family said in his testimony to the investigation that Vasili apologized to the person who rebuked him for the incident in February; then Vasil requested permission to make one toast to party members and then left the family together with his fiancée having apologized everybody for early leaving.

“Tamada gave the only right testimony to the investigation. The rest of the guests were law enforcement officers or sons of the officers. During the interrogation all of them were coming to the police station together with attorneys and made statements in their presence. Everybody tried to make equal testimonies and at that time I was sitting at home since I was told I did not need any lawyer.”

“Megi and Vasiko left the family and got into Megi’s car; the brothers Berdzenishvilis followed them cursing and arguing. The guard of Saakashvili was holding a cigarette in his hand and was trying to put it out on Vasiko’s face but Megi managed to pull up the window of the car and started the engine. Megi said despite such degrading behavior of the man Vasiko endured the insulting and left the area. He left Megi at home and returned back together with his two friends,” said mother of the killed young man.

Vasil Amonishvili calmed his fiancée down: “Don’t worry I will meet him together with my friends and we will find out what he wants from me.” He asked his two friends (world champions in different sports whose names are kept anonymous as it was requested by the mother) to follow him to Moscow Avenue. “I will ask my colleague Dato to come and explain to me what that man wanted from me. I did not want to speak with him in Megi’s presence.”

When they came, David Dograshvili was standing in the next entrance with two boys. Only Vasiko got out of the car “bring that boy here and let us find out what he wanted”, said to Dograshvili, who tried to calm down Vasiko. The brothers were looking from the window and they rushed out into the yard; other guests also followed them.

“The pregnant wife of Saakashvili’s Security guard was there too; she begged Vasiko’s friends “Please, take your friend away from here”. Her husband had pathologic intoxication (He has mental problems even when he is sober and all his neighbors knew it); so the wife of Berdzenishvili was asking them to take Vasiko away.

“One of the Berdzenishvilis hit Vasiko with something and unconscious Amonishvili fell down, the mother and sister of Dato Dograshvili bent over him and begged to stop, but they did not stop: they removed those two women from him and continued to beat my half-dead son. Residents of that building were watching the accident; the neighbors and other guests were also beating Vasiko.

“That yard in Moscow Avenue is known with terrible incidents. One more boy was killed in that yard 40 days after my son died. Vasiko lived only 5 more days, but he was only breathing and died on June 17 in the Mikhailov Hospital without coming to conscious. Initially he was taken to the 5th Hospital in Moscow Avenue.”

2 Hours later after the accident Dograshvili rang from my son’s phone. “Vasiko drank 8 liters of wine, fell down and now he is in the hospital”. We had just arrived in hospital when two boys in military uniforms came and took the people (the guests of Dograshvilis) for interrogation, but as far as I know their first testimonies have disappeared. Later we hired an attorney, but they did not allow us to copy the case materials”, says the killed man’s mother.

Gulsunda Mikadze, the aunt of Vasil Amonishvili says that 4 months later one of the Berdzenishvil, the member of Saakashvili’s Security guard, came to the Public Registration Agency. Megi recognized him and said “He is Vasiko’s murderer”. Berdzenishvili told her “If you do not stop blaming me, I will send you to Vasiko,” and left the agency immediately.

“I feel degraded; that’s why I came here, to Vazagashvilis’ office; perhaps they will advise me what to do .The families like me - Gamtsemlidzes, Robakidzes, Sharadzes, Shavadzes are members of this organization and they request punishment of the murderers. If we fight together for the punishment of criminals we will defeat the criminals and we will prove our truth. Personally I am not going to stop, till I am alive. I petitioned to Saakashvili on February 2, and now I am asking with the support of media sources:

“Mr. President, why did your security guard kill my son? If the incident, which happened after the birthday party of Irina Batiashvili in Tskneti, was investigated in 3 months and Levan Gogichaishvili was sent to prison for 7 years for wounding a boy in that incident, why they are prolonging the investigation of the accident which happened in Moscow Avenue 18 months ago when my son was murdered?”  asked the mother of Vasil Amonishvili who added that she does not hope criminal will be punished during current government.

Gulnaz Amonishvili complains about opposition parties and public defender’s office. She said she applied to the Ombudsman’s office few days after the murder. She also applied to the Republic Party, where Ucha Kiria listened to her story, expressed his condolence but refused to help her by apologizing.

The mother of the killed man says that he met Kakha Kukava leader of the Conservative Party, who promised to help her. “We will help you, because this case is worse than Girgvliani’s murder” and ordered lawyer Beso Ghviniashvili to help this family, but in vain. The mother of the killed man visited the office of “National Forum” at Melikishvili Avenue hoping to meet Gubaz Sankidze, but he met 2 strange men; finally she handed her petition and left the office. She says her petition might not have reached Gubaz Sanikidze.

The only article about the bloody incident was published in the newspaper “Alia” on June24-25, 2008 but according to the mother the truth was not cleared up. They were afraid and told the journalist that law enforcement officers participated in the murder of her son.

Presa.ge will send the questions to the press service of the Chief Prosecutor’s office regarding the murder Vasil Amonishvili. We hope they will answer as timely as they did in regard with the case of Roin Shavadze’s murder (soldier from Adjara Autonomous Republic, who was tortured and then killed soon after the War in August, 2008). We also appealed to the information department of the public defender’s office and asked what they had estimated as a result of their investigation. Besides this, if people mentioned in the story of Vasil Amonashvili’s mother wish to share their opinion with us, we are ready to meet and listen to them.

 Source: Presa.ge