10:59, 30 July 2019

Malkhaz Machalikashvili links his nephew's arrest with collection of signatures for creation of parliamentary commission

Malkhaz Machalikashvili. Screenshot from 'Kavkaz.Realii' video posted at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv5tQwBZMwc

Law enforcers have detained Morice Machalikashvili so that his relatives would stop collecting signatures to the petition demanding to set up a parliamentary commission to investigate the circumstances of Temirlan Machalikashvili's death, said the father of the young man killed in a special operation.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that after the riots in Tbilisi, 19 persons were detained and accused of using violence during their protests. Morice Machalikashvili was among the detainees; on July 27, by a court judgement, he was arrested.

Malkhaz Machalikashvili is the father of the 19-year-old Temirlan Machalikashvili, who was shot dead during a special operation on December 26, 2017. His relatives claim that he was shot dead while in bed. For more than a year, Temirlan's relatives and fellow villagers keep holding protests demanding to punish those responsible for his murder. On June 15, Malkhaz Machalikashvili received the opposition's support in collecting signatures for the creation of a parliamentary commission for investigating the circumstances of the special operation, during which his son was killed.

Malkhaz Machalikashvili said that his nephew Morice is currently kept at the SIZO (pre-trial prison). He treats his persecution as unlawful.

"They've arrested him only to put pressure on me and force me to give up and stop collecting signatures," Malkhaz Machalikashvili told the "Caucasian Knot".

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 30, 2019 at 04:50 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Beslan Kmuzov

Source: CK correspondent