State Representative says punishing individuals responsible for killing Georgian national in occupied territory “state’s priority”

Mikheil Shakulashvili, the State Representative in the central Shida Kartli region, on Saturday said identifying and punishing individuals responsible for the killing of a Georgian citizen Tamaz Ginturi during an attempt of illegal arrest by occupation forces on Monday, was a “priority of the state”.

He stressed the importance of conducting a “thorough investigation” of the incident, after another Georgian citizen Levan Dotiashvili, who had been illegally detained by the Russian-controlled occupation forces in the same incident, was released on Thursday.

The State representative, along with other politicians and clergy, attended the funeral of Ginturi, who was buried with military honours.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs on Monday launched an investigation on both violations in the incident, while the “immediate release” of Dotiashvili and punishment of individuals responsible for the killing of Ginturi was demanded by the Georgian side later that day in a meeting with de facto authorities of the occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and the country’s officials on Monday also called on the international community to make an “appropriate assessment and response” on the killing and detention of Georgian citizens by occupation forces.