Families Demand Help, as two Georgian Sailors Are Deprived of Leaving Libya
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Wednesday, April 10
Families of two Georgian sailors have held a press conference on Monday, urging the government to take all necessary steps to help two Georgian sailors return back to the country.
They say that the individuals have been in Libya since January 2019.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry responded that the restriction is related to the death of Georgian sailor in January and legal procedures related to the fatality.
Georgian sailor David Razmadze went missing from the Turkish ship MV Dogan Bey in Libya while on night guard on January 7, 2019.
He was found dead by law enforcement officers on January 21 and was transported to Georgia on March 5.
The two sailors. Raul Takidze and Manuchar Kekelidze worked on the same ship and the Libyan law enforcement agencies claim that their being in the country is mandatory until the investigation is over.
The government claims that they have provided the sailors with hotel accommodations, lawyers and all necessary conditions.
Davit Razmadze’s family members say they spoke with Davit for the last time on 6 January and he said he had been sailing to Libya on a Turkish ship.
Razmadze’s aunt says that the Turkish company let them know about the incident a week later via post.
“At 16:00 o’clock when the next on-duty sailor was supposed to replace him, he was no longer on the spot. His cell phone, personal items, and cigarettes were there,” the family says.
They presume he left the ship and was then arrested by police.
