Court sentences mother, uncle in case of forced marriage of 14-year-old girl murdered in Georgia’s east

Rustavi City Court on Tuesday sentenced the mother and uncle of a 14-year-old girl murdered last year in eastern Georgia’s Sagarejo municipality by a man who had reportedly kidnapped her.

Both the mother and uncle of the minor were found guilty on charges of forced marriage and failure to report the crime, with the Court sentencing the mother to three and the uncle to three and six months in prison.

The family members of the 14-year-old girl have not admitted guilt, with the mother of the minor claiming that her daughter got married with “her own free will”.

According to the Prosecutor General's Office of Georgia, the abductor kidnapped the minor and brought her to the village of Lambalo in the Sagarejo district, with plans to force the minor into an illegal marriage with him.

Despite the restriction of her freedom, the minor managed to escape, contact her mother by a stranger's mobile phone and report her abduction, which also became known to the uncle of the minor.

Even though the family members learned about the serious crime committed against the 14-year-old girl, they believed the minor did not have the right to express free will and make a choice, did not report the crime to the law enforcement authorities and forced the child to live with the abductor.

A 27-year-old man was arrested in October for the intentional murder of the 14-year-old girl, with the crime punishable by up to 20 years or life imprisonment.