The funeral of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili, who died in unclear circumstances in occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region a month ago are still underway in his village of Tsilkani in eastern Georgia.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze, other members of the cabinet and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze went to the funeral to pay tribute to the young man and extend their condolences to his family.
Tatunashvili’s body was finally returned to his family 26 days after his death as the de-facto Tskhinvali administration had refused to hand it over before an autopsy. He will be buried in the Mukhatgverdi Cemetery in Tbilisi tomorrow.
Minister Janelidze said the government of Georgia will do everything to ensure that those who stand behind Tatunashvili’s death come to justice.
This is one of our heaviest pains that has resulted from occupation. The Foreign Ministry, our embassies and the entire government will do everything to make sure the offenders pay for their crime”, Janelidze said.
He said the Russian occupation should come to an end and such pain should never be repeated in Georgia.
After Tatunashvili’s body was taken out of occupied Tskhinvali with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross, it was delivered to the Levan Samkharauli National Forensics Bureau for further study.
The results of the Georgian investigation will be available in around two weeks.
Meanwhile, the parliament of Georgia has adopted a joint resolution on Tatunashvili’s case.
The resolution condemns Russia’s actions in the occupied territories of Georgia, makes a series of demands on Russia and envisages the creation of a sanctions list of individuals who have violated the rights of Georgian citizens in the occupied regions.