Man charged with premeditated murder, restraining order violation after stabbing girlfriend in presence of minors
The prosecutor’s office said that the perpetrator was released on bail despite the threats that he could commit a crime. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
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A man has been charged with premediated murder and violation of a restraining order after stabbing his girlfriend in the presence of her three underage children on Sunday in the eastern Kakheti region city of Telavi, the prosecutor’s office of Georgia said on Tuesday.
The office decried the decision of a district court in Telavi for rejecting its motion in October to send the suspect to pretrial detention after his earlier arrest on charges of domestic violence and threats to the victim and her family, instead releasing him on a ₾2,000 ($707) bail.
The prosecutor’s office also said it had “immediately appealed” the ruling to the Tbilisi court of appeals, but a decision could not be made before the suspect broke into the rented flat of the 26-year-old woman and inflicted several deadly injuries to her neck and chest in the presence of her children.
The suspect, who had not been sentenced to detention [by the court], was given the opportunity to brutally assault his girlfriend. This fact once again emphasises the need to take the strictest measures against femicide, which implies coordinated work, public involvement and united efforts”, the office said in its comments.
The assailant is facing 16 to 20 years in prison or life sentence for his crimes.
Georgia’s special investigation service has arrested two security police officers for domestic violence and uncovered physical and psychological violence committed by an officer against their family members, the agency announced on Friday.
Police identified 9,144 victims of domestic violence and 8,716 abusers throughout Georgia in 2020, reports the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat).
A large-scale campaign to combat violence against women in Georgia will be launched, reports the press office of the Government Administration. The Ministries of Justice, Interior, Regional Development, Health, Education and the Prosecutor’s Office will be involved in the campaign.
Despite the crisis caused by the coronavirus, the Georgian government is continuing to pursue a strict policy against domestic violence and violence against women.
The prosecutor general’s office of Georgia has invited artists, sculptors and photographers from across the country to submit works to a competition dedicated to combating femicide and violence against women.
Female victims of violence were invited to meet representatives of the Georgian prosecutor general’s office on Wednesday in a meeting hosted as part of the body’s recently launched national campaign against femicide.
Residents of Georgia’s western cities of Kutaisi and Zugdidi and students of the Kutaisi-based Akaki Tsereteli State University met officials from the prosecutor general’s office on Monday to discuss measures being taken by authorities against femicide and importance of public participation in the effort.
Residents of Georgia’s western municipalities of Khelvachauri and Ozurgeti met officials from the prosecutor general’s office of Georgia on Wednesday to discuss measures being taken by the state body against femicide and importance of public awareness and involvement in the effort.