Mukhtarli demands suspension of authority for Vakhtang Gomelauri
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Azerbaijani journalist, Afghan Mukhtarli, requests the suspension of the powers of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Vakhtang Gomelauri. The journalist announced this at the press conference.
According to Mukhtarli, the Prime Minister is obliged to remove the Minister of Internal Affairs from his position until the investigation of his abduction case is completed. He spoke about the facts made public by the former high-ranking official of the Security Service and demanded the identification of specific persons. At the same time, he said that he himself had doubts and Gogashvili confirmed that his kidnapping could not have been carried out without Ivanishvili's order.
"At the very first announcement in Azerbaijan, I said that Ivanishvili was behind my kidnapping. Kvirikashvili was the prime minister then, I was kidnapped by the criminal police, and handed over to the Lagodekhi customs office. This would not have happened without the permission of Ivanishvili and Kvirikashvili. The order was issued at the highest level," Afghan Mukhtarli said.
Afghan Mukhtarli demands a response from state agencies to the new facts released by Soso Gogashvili. He also intends to officially appeal to the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Gharibashvili, and request the dismissal of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Vakhtang Gomelauri. Mukhtarli was called to the General Prosecutor's Office together with his lawyer.
Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Mukhtarli, who was investigating the corruption schemes of Ilham Aliyev's family and was persecuted because of it, took refuge in Georgia with his family. After 2 years of living, he was kidnapped from Tbilisi in May 2017. After 2 days, it was found out that Mukhtarli was detained in Azerbaijan, and his passport was in the house of his wife, Leila Mustafaeva.
The Georgian side has not yet investigated the incident. On April 21, 2022, he was granted the status of a victim.
