Investigation into murder of Georgian journalist resumed 17 years later

A new investigation into the murder of journalist Giorgi Sanaya has been launched after one of the prisoners mentioned top-ranking officials as persons who ordered the crime, the Georgian General Prosecutor's Office reported on March 2.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Giorgi Sanaya was found murdered in his apartment in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on July 26, 2001. Several months later, the police detained Grigol Khurtsilava on the charge of the murder. The detainee pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment.

Giorgi Sanaya was a host of the popular talk show "Night Courier" on the opposition "Rustavi-2" TV Channel. The death of the journalist caused a wide resonance in the Georgian society, the online magazine "SOVA" reports.

In connection with the appearance of new details that can help investigate the murder of Giorgi Sanaya, the case was instituted under Article 108 of the Criminal Code of Georgia (deliberate murder), the "Rustavi-2" TV Channel reported on March 2.

In this February, prisoner Kote Tsikhistavi, involved in kidnappings and murders of people in the Pankisi Gorge in the early 2000s, said that he was aware of the circumstances of the Giorgi Sanaya's murder. He has mentioned the name of the person who, according to him, killed the journalist. The murder was ordered by top-ranking officials, Kote Tsikhistavi states.

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