Georgia demands border guard from Abkhazia to face Georgian court

Georgia is demanding a Russian-controlled border guard who shot and killed a Georgian man near the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) separating de facto Abkhazia and rest of Georgia to face a Georgian court of law and be punished for his actions. 

An official from Georgia’s State Security Service (SSS) revealed this demand after today’s International Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting in Abkhazia’s Gali town. The meeting allowed Georgians and de facto Abkhazian leadership sit down for the first time in four years to discuss conflict issues and the brutal murder of 31-year-old Giga Otkhozoria. 

The meeting was quite constructive and calm. It mainly concerned the murder in Khurcha village [on Georgian-controlled territory]. We raised the issue of handing over the killer to [the Georgian side] for him to stand before a Georgian court,” Irakli Beraia from the SSS stated. 

He said the next IPRM meeting in Gali, which addresses human rights and security issues in and near de facto Abkhazia, would take place on July 6. 

Before the next IPRM meeting, the next round of the Geneva International Discussions would heavily discuss the May 19 murder. The talks, created to address Georgia’s conflict issues, were next scheduled to take place in June. 

Otkhozoria was on Georgian-controlled territory when he was gunned down by border guards stationed near the ABL with breakaway Abkhazia about 2.30pm on May 19.  

Otkhozoria was shot six times, including once in the face. He was rushed to hospital but died soon after.

On May 21 Georgia’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office announced the individual who shot Otkhozoria had been identified. 

That same day video footage was released which showed Otkhozoria retreating from a confrontation with the guards when he was shot.

The Chief Prosecutor’s Office has approached Interpol to announce an international search for Otkhozitia’s murderer.