Police detain father of teenager murdered in December for attacking police officers

The police have detained Zaza Saralidze today, whose son was killed in a school brawl last year and who has been demanding the punishment of the “offenders who still walk free.”

Saralidze was detained for attacking a policemen who did not allow him to open tents in front of the Tbilisi parliament building.

Videos went viral in which Saralidze can be seen running towards policemen with a metal stick and then hitting them.

If found guilty, Saralidze will be sent to prison for four to seven years.

Deputy Interior Minister Natia Mezvrishvili said that  the Interior Ministry many times “closed eyes” on Saralidze’s abusive actions to police [verbal abuse] taking his condition [death of his son]into account. However, this time, “he exceeded all limits” and physically abused police.

Two other individuals who disobeyed police are facing fines or 15-day imprisonment.

Two 16-year-old boys were killed in central Tbilisi in December 2017.

Since the court verdict failed to identify the actual killer of 16-year-old David Saralidze who died from multiple knife wounds, his father Zaza Saralidze started a protest rally in the end of May demanding the government hold accountable the actual killers.

The rallies led to the resignation of former Chief Prosecutor Irakli Shotadze.

Several individuals have been detained for the murder case, among them is former top official of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office Mirza Subeliani, who is charged for failing to report the crime.

However, Saralidze says that there are other “offenders” who  have not been detained.

The Interior Ministry says that the investigation is in progress.

Saralidze has not been allowed several times to open tents in front of the parliament building before, as this could block the entrance to the building.