Protesters demand investigation of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili's death
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Wednesday, September 11
Part of Pankisi Gorge residents held a rally in front of the German Embassy in Tbilisi over the case of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili’s death in Berlin. They are demanding the German authorities prosecute everyone who is involved in the assassination of Khangoshvili.
“Khangoshvili was killed during sunlight in the center of Berlin on August 23. We demand this crime be investigated. Only one person has been arrested so far. One individual could not possibly do this alone, he would need the help of others. We demand that everyone who has anything to do with this case is arrested. Also, criminals who did this should not be given to Russia, they should stay in Germany and be prosecuted under German law,” one of the protesters, Vakhtang Parulidze, told reporters.
Also, according to him, the German authorities should not allow anyone detained on murder charges to meet with the Russian diplomats despite their request.
One of the demands of the protesters is the safety of the friends and family of Khangoshvili living in Europe. “They are not safe from these kinds of crimes. They need to be as safe as possible. More attention should be paid towards immigrants, so things like this are prevented from happening in the future,” said Pareulidze.
According to one of the protesters, Malkhaz Machalikashvili, the embassy representatives promised that Khangoshvili's case will be investigated objectively.
“In 2015 Zelimkhan Khangoshvili was attacked in Tbilisi. This case was discontinued, we demand that the reason for discontinuation is also investigated. It also needs to be determined whether the attackers in Tbilisi and Berlin are related in any way,” noted Machalikashvili.
Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, 40, was killed in Berlin on August 23. According to his relatives, Khangoshvili was approached by a bicycle and was shot in the head. Police arrested the suspect shortly afterward. Berlin police have released a photo of him and asked citizens to assist in the investigation.
According to media reports, investigators found a large amount of money in killer’s apartment. He had flown from Moscow to Paris and then to berlin a few days before his assassination. According to German media, he had a return ticket to Moscow. Also, the investigation is working on a version of the ordered murder. The media also writes about the possible Russian trail in Khangoshvili's assassination. The Russian authorities deny this version.
Zelimkhan Khangoshvili was a former Chechen rebel, who had fought against Russian troops in the Second Chechen War. He was a citizen of Georgia from the Pankisi Gorge region.
Khangoshvili left Georgia two years ago after being severely wounded in Tbilisi on May 28, 2015. Khangoshvili then had four bullets but managed to survive.
MIA has launched an investigation into the wounding of Khangoshvili but has not yet investigated the case. According to relatives, evidence important to the investigation – recordings of the video surveillance cameras installed on the street were removed.
