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Uninvestigated Case Ends Up with the Minister of Internal Affairs

March 22, 2006

Uninvestigated Case Ends Up with the Minister of Internal Affairs 

On 23 November 2003, on the night of the Rose Revolution, two men were killed in a tragic accident. Whilst the families appeal for a proper investigation, the Minister, Vano Merabishvili, gives a prize to the person who may be responsible for this terrible tragedy. 

The history of the tragic events are as follows. On 23 November 2003, an Amoured Personnel Carrier (APC) accidentally hit a BMW traveling from Rustavi to Tbilisi, on Gamsakhurdia Avenue. Two occupants of the BMW were killed in the accident; passenger Eter Tsuliashvili died on the spot and driver David Sakvarelidze died the next day. The children traveling in the BMW, Sophia and Badri Tsuliashvili, were also injured.

After the accident took place, an investigation was started with the identifiaction number ‘276’. On November 26, the case was sent to the Army Prosecutor. In 2004 on April 19, the case was sent to the investigation board at the Ministry of Security. Now the case has the identification number ‘04990’.

Witnesses to the accident were questioned. The driver of the APC stated that he was not driving fast - only 40km/h. According to Mariam Sakvarelidze, the driver of their car (the BMW) was only going about 50km/h but they were hit by some kind of military vehicle at very high speed.

The same story was given by the children who were in the car. 

Eight forensic experts investigated the scene of the accident to try to establish what really occurred. Three of the experts concluded that the accident occurred the way described by the BMW occupants, two experts said it could have happened either way and three of them could not give any exact answers.

In 2005 on April 28, a lawyer from the Human Rights Centre representing the crash victims, David Managadze, received notice that the investigation had been closed because there was not enough evidence. “Everything has been done regarding the case in question; the exact position could not be established due to different accounts given by both sides. That is not grounds for further investigation”, read Gogoberidze’s (the prosecutor in the case) conclusion.

The mother of one of the victims, Mariam Sakvarelidze, did not receive any information about the case other than what she obtained from the attorney. As the representatives of the victims also state, she won’t stop until the guilty are punished. “I know that the case has been closed because the court itself was under pressure, they have not even read the case, I have nothing else to say. Judge Tsitsvidze asked me which vehicle I was in - is it not obvious that I would not have been traveling in the APC? I won’t stop, I will appeal. They do not want to reveal the facts and open the case because they don’t want to admit that Rose Revolution was a bloody one. If I can’t achieve justice I will take revenge.”  

The lawyer for the victims is preparing a new petition to introduce to the court soon. The investigation deliberately asked vague questions so as not to get exact answers. The true picture is shown by the accident report made after the scene of the accident and by the witness statements of Gia Parkadze and Gocha Tsuliashvili. Despite all this evidence, the investigation denied the truth from the start. 

The lawyer is appealing to the courts and reintroducing the above facts. The prosecutor or court did not comment on the case.

Eka Gulua

 

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