UNM’s Dekanoidze holds briefing on Machalikashvili’s case
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Monday, January 13
The United National Movement expresses its solidarity with the family of Temirlan Machalikashvili and believes that the state has deprived them of their right to protest.
National Movement representative Khatia Dekanoidze talked about it at the January 12’s briefing.
Dekanoidze said that since the death of Temirlan Machalikashvili, the family and society had not been able to answer questions about the special operation.
“Moreover, the climax of attitude towards Machalikashvili's family and public, which was highly cynical, was manifested on December 31, when Machalikashvili's only protest site and his tent were thrown into the trash under the instruction of Bidzina Ivanishvili and Kakha Kaladze. This was followed by protests and the arrest of several civil activists,” said the UNM member.
According to Dekanoidze, the state failed to ensure a fair and effective investigation into the extremely humiliating and aggressive conduct of the special operation and so far, no perpetrators have been punished. She also underlined the fact that the victim's family has not yet been granted victim status, which means that Machalikashvili's family cannot access the materials of the investigation. Moreover, she claimed that throughout the period the State Security Service violated all procedural, institutional independence and was conducting its investigation, and also falsified testimony.
“The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has begun a substantive hearing on the case of Temirlan Machalikashvili. The court has already sent questions to the Georgian authorities and it is obliged to answer them,” said Dekanoidze at yesterday’s briefing.
The case is being heard in Strasbourg court in violation of Articles 2, 3 and 13 of the Convention, which, according to Dekanoidze, involve deprivation of power, torture and inhuman treatment by the authorities, as well as deprivation of the right to internal protection.
The authorities, as Dekanoidze says, should answer the following questions: Why did the state kill 19-year-old Temirlan Machalikashvili as a result of unplanned and unjustified special operations? What preconditions preceded the special operation, and what were the circumstances that made this unprofessional special operation necessary? Why wasn't Temirlan Machalikashvili provided with an ambulance when he was incompatible with life? Why has the government refused to set up an independent parliamentary inquiry commission when Malkhaz Machalikashvili and the general public are interested in finding out the truth?
“The Georgian authorities are obliged to hand over all the evidence to the European Court and answer all these questions. Solidarity to Machalikashvili's family” noted Dekanoidze.
The Machalikashvili family's lawsuit was filed with the European Court of Human Rights on 6 June 2019. The family's interests are protected by the European Court of Human Rights Training and Monitoring Center (EMC) and its international partner organization, the European Center for Human Rights (EHRAC).
Temirlan Machalikashvili was fatally wounded on December 26, 2017, as a result of a special operation in the village of Duisi in Pankisi Gorge.
Temirlan Machalikashvili's parents have so far demanded that the state pleads guilty, for which they have been holding rallies outside the parliament building. They were collecting signatures across Georgia demanding the creation of temporary parliamentary inquiry commission.
