Archpriest Giorgi Mamaladze goes on hunger strike

Archpriest Giorgi Mamaladze, sentenced in the case on an attempted poisoning of the Georgian Patriarch's secretary and illegal storage of weapons, has started hunger strike to protest against a refusal in a phone conversation with his relatives. This was reported by Mikhail Ramishvili, an advocate of archpriest Giorgi Mamaladze.

The "Caucasian Knot" has informed that the detention of Giorgi Mamaladze, the chief of the property management service for the Patriarchate of Georgia, was reported on February 12. Giorgi Mamaladze was accused of an attempt on Shoren Tetruashvili, the Patriarch's secretary-referent. On June 27, the diocese suspended his position of archpriest. On September 5, the Tbilisi Court found Giorgi Mamaladze guilty of plotting a murder and illegal acquisition and possession of firearms and sentenced him to nine years of imprisonment.

Giorgi Mamaladze wanted to phone his family members to express his best wishes on the occasion of a child's birthday, "but he was banned to make a phone call," said Mikhail Ramishvili, an advocate of Giorgi Mamaladze, as quoted by the "New-Georgia" on September 28.

"It was done purposefully ... So far, there have never been any problems with phone communication, as well as with a talk about it. After that, Father Giorgi refused to take food and medicines," reported Mikhail Ramishvili.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.