Father of Killed Terrorism Suspect Addresses Diplomatic Corps
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Thursday, October 11
Malkhaz Machalikashvili, the father of 19-year-old Temirlan Machalikashvili who received a deadly injury during last year anti-terrorism operation in Georgia’s Muslim-populated Pankisi Gorge, addressed diplomatic corps in Georgia on Wednesday and asked them help.
Machalikashvili, who believes that his son was mistakenly shot in December 2017, says that he is sending letters to diplomats accredited in Georgia to unveil the details of the case which are still unknown to the public.
“The details will display the activities of the government of Georgia to avoid the punishment of offenders,” Machalikashvili said.
“I ask the diplomats to attract the international attention to the case for me to achieve the punishment of offenders,” he said.
Machalikashvili is demanding the punishment of the head of the State Security Service Vakhtang Gomeuri, his former deputy Ioseb Gogashvili and everyone who planned and carried out the counter-terrorism operation.
Machalikashvili is sure that his son has never been connected with terrorists, while more than 30 others from the eastern Pankisi Gorge died in Syria or Iraq as the members of the terrorist organization Islamic State.
Temirlan Machalikashvili died on January 10, 2018, from the severe head injury he received during the December 27, 2017 raid.
The Pankisi raid came after the large-scale anti-terrorist operation in Tbilisi on November 21-22, which saw Islamic State terrorist Achmed Chatayev and his two accomplices killed and one detained.
Georgia’s State Security Service claims Chatayev and his group planned attacks on diplomats in Turkey and Georgia.
The December raid in Pankisi aimed at detaining the people who supported Chatayev to come to Georgia, buy weapons and find accommodation, security officials stated.
During the Pankisi raid, Machalikashvili was wounded and four others were detained for alleged support for terrorism, envisaging 17-20 years in prison or life imprisonment.
