House of Juvenile Accused Was Burnt

The incident happened in the village of Kardenakhi in Gurjaani district. On March 2, late at night, unidentified people set Elisashvili’s house on fire and the second floor of the house burnt down. Nobody was injured in the family. Criminal case was launched on the fact and Gurjaani district police is investigating the incident.

15-year-old Beka Elisashvili (his name was published based on parent’s agreement) is detained under accusation of attempted murder. Kakheti region office of the Human Rights Center spread special statement about this case. The human rights organization state that according to case materials cannot confirm that the child committed the crime and Gurjaani district prosecutor’s office persecutes the juvenile groundlessly.

According to official information officers of the Gurjaani office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs detained Beka Elisashvili, pupil of the 10th form of Kardenakhi public school on November 26, 2009. Prosecutor’s office blames him in attempted murder of Nodar Ardazishvili, resident of village Kardenakhi.

According to bill of particulars, on November 15, 2009 at about 7:00 pm, Beka Elisashvili went to the garden of his family in the village of Kardenakhi; he took his dogs with him. At that time, Nodar Ardazishvili crashed the dog of Beka Elisashvili by car and the dog died. Beka Elisashvili got angry and decided to kill Ardazishvili. At night, he took the hunter’s gun from his house (the gun belonged to his grandfather) and went to Nodar Ardazishvili’s house; there he hid and waited for him to leave the house. At about 1:30 am Nodar Ardazishvili was going to look out at the barking of the dog. On the balcony he saw Beka Elisashvili who shot him. Nodar Ardazishvili fell down and Elisashvili disappeared. The wounded was taken to Gurjaani district hospital where he survived with the support of doctors,” it is written in the bill of particulars.

According to the Human Rights Center, Beka Elisashvili’s detention and interrogation happened with the proceeding violations. Ioseb Elisashvili, the father of Beka Elisashvili stated that investigator of Gurjaani District Department took the detainee to another room during the interrogation, where he assaulted him and then took back to the room. Despite the fact, he does not plead himself guilty. The chief prosecutor’s office offered him plea-bargain, but his parents refused. Later, the Elisashvilis found a letter from unknown person in the yard, which stated that Beka Elisashvili did not shoot Nodar Ardazishvili, the author of the letter named concrete person who committed the crime. The police found the gun in the house of the person who was mentioned in the letter; they accused him in illegal possession of gun and detained him; then he was imposed by a bail. The mentioned person requested from Elisashvilis to pay it, but they refused. According to Ioseb Elisashvili, the person threatened them with burning the family members in their house. House of the Elisashvilis was set on fire on March 2 and the second floor was burnt. The family members survived.

According to the Human Right Centre, there are no proofs in criminal case, which proves that Beka Elisashvili shot Nodar Ardazishvili. Nodar Ardazishvili refuses in his first testimony that Beka Elisashvili wounded him, but when the chief prosecutor’s office interrogated him for the second time, he directly blamed Beka Elisashvili.

The Human Rights Centre appeals to the organizations working on child’s rights, Public Defender’s Office and Media to react to the fact.

Kakheti News Centre