Georgian leading NGO files lawsuit against Russia on murder case in European Court

Giga Otkhozoria, 31, leaves behind his wife and two children. Photo from his Facebook profile.
Agenda.ge, 12 Jan 2018 - 13:21, Tbilisi,Georgia

Georgia’s Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) and partner organization European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC) have filed a lawsuit against Russia in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), over a high profile murder case committed by a Russian-controlled border guard in 2016.

The NGO addressed ECHR with the name of the family of late Giga Otkhozoria, who was brutally killed by Russian-controlled border guard Rashid Kanji Ogli on May 19, 2016, at the occupation line between Georgia and its western, breakaway Abkhazia region.

Despite the fact the Georgian court sentenced Kanji Ogli to 14 years in prison in absentia and the individual is wanted by Interpol, the de facto leadership of Abkhazia refuses to hand him over to the central government of Georgia.

GYLA says that video footage is available which depicts how Kanji Ogli shot Otkhoziria several times on territory currently controlled by Georgia and carried out a control shot to the head when the 30-year-old man fell down.

Russia, which occupies Abkhazia and carries out the effective control of the area, is responsible for violating human rights specified by the European convention in the de facto region, as well as by the activities of de facto authorities,” GYLA stated.

Shortly after the incident in 2016, the Abkhazian court sentenced Kanji Ogli  to house imprisonment. However, last year, "due to a lack of evidence”, the so-called Prosecutor’s Office of Abkhazia suspended the investigation of the case, as well as criminal persecution against the offender.

The Georgian government has raised the issue of handing over the offender to Tbilisi at all meetings with de facto representatives.