Georgian authorities lose in Strasbourg on Girgvliani's murder

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has found violations of the rights guaranteed under the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) in relation to Sandro Girgvliani, an employee of the United Bank of Georgia, killed in 2006, and his parents - Irina Enukidze (deceased in 2007) and Guram Girgvliani.

Sandro Girgvliani was killed on January 27, 2005, in Okrokan forest, where he was tortured. Four employees of the Department of Constitutional Security, suspected of killing him, were detained in early 2006 and sentenced to 7-8 years of imprisonment, but later, in 2009, they were released under the pardon decree, signed by the Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili.

The ECtHR found violations of Article 2 of the Convention (right to life) and Article 38 (obligation of the state to cooperate with the court in establishing the truth). Besides, the Court has obliged the government of Georgia to pay - within three months - the compensation to his father - Guram Girgvliani - in the amount of 50,000 euros.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed by the lawyer David Djandieri that the ECtHR had recognized that during the investigation of Girgvliani's case some evidences had been taken too late, while others were simply falsified.

Within the next three months, the Government of Georgia has the right to submit an application for reconsideration of Girgvliani's case to the Supreme Chamber of the ECtHR.

The Girgvliani family filed a complaint to the ECtHR after the killers of their son were sentenced to 7-8 years of imprisonment. However, in the opinion of Guram Girgvliani and his wife Irina Enukidze, who was then alive, the court had punished only the performers of the murder, while the real customers - the higher ranks of the MIA (according to the family members and the opposition) managed to escape justice. Therefore, the family's lawyers filed a claim to Strasbourg, stating that several articles of the ECHR were violated in respect of the victims.