Prisoner Mamuka Toliashvili Blames Goga Oniani in Revenge

Nino Devidze

On March 18, Human Rights Center held press-conference about the case of prisoner Mamuka Toliashvili in the Prime Time’s press-club. In his letter to the organization, the convicted person wrote that he was victim of revenge of the former senior law enforcement officers Giorgi Oniani and Gia Donadze.  

Head of Legal Aid Center at the Human Rights Center Tamar Avaliani said Mamuka Toliashvili applied to the Center for help late in January, 2014. “The prisoner sent long letter describing concrete facts of his abuse and complained about illegal judgment imposed on him.”

Brother of the convicted Teimuraz Toliashvili said Giorgi Oniani was interested in the case, where his brother was questioned as a witness. “My brother witnessed how drunken Gia Donadze, senior official of the penitentiary department, was driving a car and tried to use weapon against my brother and his companions. A young man seized the gun from Donadze and did not allow him to fire. Several hours after the incident, we learned that Donadze had called police and criminal case was launched. Next day, my brother was called and interrogated as a witness. Giorgi Oniani compelled my brother to make false testimony and say that certain people had planned to seize gun from Gia Donadze; if he disobeyed, Oniani threatened my brother with imprisonment. My brother categorically refused to make false statement for what Oniani tried to revenge my brother. Mamuka was arrested for no reasons several times. Finally, when Mamuka had an incident with a neighbor, Oniani arrested him and fabricated charge against him. My brother was placed in the prison, where Gia Donadze was director.”

Teimuraz Toliashvili said his brother was also blamed in seizure of Gia Oniani’s gun. “When Goga Oniani became head of murder unit at the Tbilisi Main Department, he took up my brother’s case and artificially burdened his charge to create criminal reputation about him. Under Oniani’s instruction, investigation destroyed all evidence and in 2006, City Court sent my brother to 35-year imprisonment. Oniani was interested in the case because he was Donadze’s childhood friend.”

On February 26, lawyer Tamar Avaliani filed lawsuit to the Chief Prosecutor’s Office and requested probe into intimidation and oppression on Toliashvili. “Chief investigator Koba Gabodze was put in charge of the case though the probe has not started yet,” Avaliani said.

Director of the Human Rights Center Aleko Tskitishvili calls on the prosecutor’s office to timely investigate the case. “We believe that neither lawyer’s status nor political activity of the person discharges him from the responsibility of past crimes. So, we call on the prosecutor’s office to launch criminal case based on Mamuka Toliashvili’s statement and study the facts mentioned in his letter.”

Tskitishvili added that very grave punishment was imposed on a young man - he was placed in prison for 35 years that is also doubtful and might contain signs of personal revenge.

At the press-conference Aleko Tskitishvili noted that unfortunately state delayed investigation into past torture and inhuman treatment facts and big part of torture victims are still in prisons. “They have another problem – assumed arbitrary judgments where the state bears the responsibility. It is pity that government postponed establishment of the commission for the miscarriages of justice and it is serious problem because Mamuka Toliashvili and other like him lost chance to have their cases re-investigated. However, we hope new probe will start into Toliashvili’s case because it is still possible to re-investigate violations claimed by the prisoner.”

Video-studio of the Human Rights Center has prepared documentary film on the topic “Murder in Academic town” http://www.hridc.tv/index.php?a=view&id=851&lang=eng