Several thousand protesters rallied in front of the old parliament building in Tbilisi on May 27, demanding fair investigation over the murder of two teens last December.
The two 16 year-olds – Davit Saralidze and Levan Dadunashvili – were stabbed to death in a fight of about fifteen high school students near the prestigious 51st school, in the very center of the city. The authorities have detained two murder suspects and indicted five more on charges of covering up the crime.
Zaza Saralidze, the father of one of victims, disputes the investigation, claiming Davit Saralidze suffered wounds from additional items other than the two knives appearing in the official version.
He also says the authorities were deliberately covering up the fault of Mirza Subeliani, a former employee of the Prosecutor’s Office, who had reportedly met with his nephew – Mikheil Kalandia, the main case witness, together with one of the murder suspects, immediately after the incident and helped conceal the crime. Subeliani left his position shortly after the murder.
Saralidze announced the rally last week, calling on the authorities to arrest “all those complicit in the murder and in covering up the crime,” and urging the public to express support to his demands.
Addressing the protesters on May 27, Zaza Saralidze reiterated his calls for holding all perpetrators to justice.
The court is expected to deliver its verdict next month.
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