One more person was arrested on charges of perjury in connection with the controversial Khorava street incident last December, which left two 16 year-olds – Davit Saralidze and Levan Dadunashvili – stabbed to death.
In a statement released on July 19, the Interior Ministry said D.G., who witnessed the Khorava street incident, willfully gave false testimony to court.
The Ministry noted that when D.G was questioned as a witness, he said Davit Saralidze, one of the victims, was assaulted by his two schoolmates, including Mikheil Kalandia, but in his court testimony, the detainee denied Kalandia’s involvement.
Zaza Saralidze, the father of Davit Saralidze, welcomed the arrest, saying D.G. was aware of the incident’s whereabouts, but concealed it, either because he was intimidated or bribed.
Lawyer Gocha Kvaratskhelia denied the charges brought against D.G., saying he gave “objective and comprehensive” answers to the investigation. He also ruled out that D.G. was pressured to change his testimony.
The arrest comes slightly over a month after the Interior Ministry arrested two persons on charges of failure to report crime and exertion of influence on a witness, respectively.
Two teenagers were arrested over the murder of Saralidze and Dadunashvili, but the court acquitted both suspects on group murder charges of the former, effectively defying the prosecution’s version of the incident and prompting large-scale protests in the country.
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)