Machalikashvili relatives accuse law enforcers of violating presumption of innocence

Family members of Temirlan Machalikashvili, who was killed during a special operation, accused the State Security Service (SSS) of Georgia of violating his right to presumption of innocence.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that 19-year-old Temirlan Machalikashvili was seriously wounded to his head during a special operation held in the Pankisi Gorge on December 26, 2017 and died in a hospital two weeks later. According to law enforcers, Temirlan Machalikashvili tried to throw a grenade at them. His relatives say that the young man was shot dead in his bed.

The family members of Temirlan Machalikashvili, killed during the special operation in the Pankisi Gorge, sue the State Security Service of Georgia. The plaintiffs claim the SSS violated the Temirlan Machalikashvili's right to the presumption of innocence and declared him a terrorist.

"I knew about every Temirlan's step. He didn't take a step without asking me. It's difficult when you know who your son was, what he was and what he could do ... and you cannot prove the truth," said Mediko Margoshvili, a mother of Temirlan Machalikashvili, on the air of the Georgian "Rustavi-2" TV Channel (as translated by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent).

The interests of the Temirlan Machalikashvili's family are represented in court by NGO "Centre for Training and Monitoring Human Rights".

The lawsuit was substantiated, and the analysis of the disseminated information and its context suggested that the State Security Service of Georgia had violated the Temirlan Machalikashvili's right to presumption of innocence, said NGO lawyer David Berdzuli on the air of the "Rustavi-2" TV Channel.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 16, 2019 at 05:57 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.