EU Delegation condemns de-facto Abkhazia dropping charges against murderer of Georgian
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The Delegation of the European Union to Georgia has released a statement in reaction to de-facto authorities of Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia region freeing the individual accused of murdering a Georgian citizen last year near the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) separating Abkhazia and the rest of Georgia.
"The decision by the de facto Abkhaz authorities to drop charges against the suspect of the killing of a Georgian civilian on 19 May 2016 at the Khurcha-Nabakevi crossing point on the Administrative Boundary Line with the breakaway region of Abkhazia, prevents justice taking its rightful course”, the statement reads.
"It also disregards a full year of intensive work, including the handing over of investigation materials at the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meetings. Impunity of serious crime negatively impacts perceptions of security on the ground”, it adds.
According to the statement, work on this case and other issues related to security on the ground must continue.
The de-facto Abkhazian side informed Georgian officials that the prosecution against Rashid Kanjioghli had ended last month. They did not explain why the man who was facing murder charges was cleared.
Kanjioghli, a Russian-controlled "border guard” stationed at the occupation line in Abkhazia, was sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment by the Georgian court in absentia. Interpol has also launched an international search for him. However, de-facto Abkhazia refuses to punish the man or hand him to the Georgian side.
Kanjioghli killed a young Georgian man, Giga Otkhozoria, who was trying to transport food into the breakaway region for a funeral ceremony of his late aunt on May 19, 2016.
CCTV camera footage showed Otkhozoria was on Georgian-controlled territory when he was gunned down by Kanjioghli before the latter running away and hiding in occupied Abkhazia.
The Georgian side said ending the prosecution of Kanjioghli is a serious issue, which Tbilisi will raise at the international level.
De-facto authorities of Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia region have freed the individual accused of murdering a Georgian citizen last year near the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) separating Abkhazia and the rest of Georgia.
An Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting was held today in Gali in Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia, where security conditions along the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) were on the top of the agenda.
The person accused of murdering a Georgian citizen last year near the Administrative Boundary Line separating Georgia and its breakaway region of Abkhazia has been declared wanted by Interpol.
The individual accused of murdering Giga Otkhozoria last year near the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) separating Georgia and its breakaway region of Abkhazia has been given two additional years of detention, which now makes for 14-years of imprisonment in total.