Abkhazia sets free ‘border guard’ who killed Georgian citizen
By Tea Mariamidze
Friday, June 2
The puppet government of Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia have freed Rashid Kanji-oghli, a so-called border guard, who was in pre-trial detention for killing a Georgian citizen, Giga Otkhozoria, on May 19, 2016.
The information was released at the 46th meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM), chaired by United Nations (UN) with participation of the European Union (EU) Monitoring Mission (EUMM) that took place in Gali on 31 May 2017.
At the meeting, the representatives of the Abkhazian de-facto government informed the representatives of the State Security Service of Georgia that the prosecution had been suspended.
According to the Analytical Department of the State Security Service of Georgia, this issue will be on the agenda not only at the Gali IPRM meetings but also at higher level formats.
Georgia’s State Security Service (SSS) says the decision of the de-facto authorities of Abkhazia is “extremely negative and cynical”.
Kanji-oghli, 30, killed Otkhozoria, 31, on Georgian-controlled territory near the Administrative Boundary Line with Abkhazia.
Otkhozoria was shot six times, including once in the head. He was rushed to hospital but died soon after. He left behind a wife and two children.
As for the other issues of the IPRM, the discussions also covered recent cases of detentions at the Administrative Boundary Line and ongoing borderization which, in some cases, prevents access to agricultural land for the locals.
The closure of two controlled crossing points in March of this year, and its impact for local residents, was also discussed.
The next meeting of the Gali IPRM is scheduled for 28 June, 2017.
