Georgia’s Interior Min Says Witnesses Refuse to Cooperate with Police After Deadly School Yard Clash
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, December 5
(TBILISI)--Georgia’s Internal Affairs Minister Giorgi Gakhariasaid on Monday that only a handful of the 150 witnesses that have been questioned about a schoolyard brawl that left two 16-year-olds dead from multiple stab wounds are willing to cooperate with the investigation.
“This is a very serious problem. There is a very negative attitude towards the police,” Gakharia said, before adding that steps needed to be taken to restore trust with the public.
The ministries stated the state bodies and the local and international organizations working on minors’ issues would be actively involved in the group’s activities.
Non-Governmental Organizations and psychiatrists claim that Georgia continues to live with the perception that a person who cooperated with police can longer be trusted by members of their community.
The Prosecutor’s Office reported in an official statement Monday that 11 male high school students met in a restroom during a break between lessons on December 1. One of the boys pointed an air gun at another member of the group and an argument began.
The boys later gathered in the schoolyard where a violent scuffle broke out, leaving two dead.
