Georgian activists achieve tougher charges for murder of rights defender

The accusations to the participants of the conflict in Tbilisi, during which Vitaly Safarov, an employee of the "Centre for Inclusion and Development" was killed, were reclassified to more grave ones. Avtandil Kandelakishvili and Giorgi Sokhadze are now accused of murder based on national discord.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 30, 2018, the 25-year-old Vitaly Safarov, who had worked for the NGO "Centre for Inclusion and Development", was mortally stabbed during a street conflict.

Safarov was talking Russian with two women, said Agit Mirzoev, the head of the above NGO. According to his story, at this time, a Vitaly's acquaintance came up and said that he had a conflict with several young people.

Safarov intervened, and one of the young people asked him why he was talking Russian to women, and after that Safarov was stabbed.

Activists sought to re-qualify the case to the article on aggravated murder committed "because of racial, religious, national or ethnic intolerance", which provides for up to 17 years in prison.

Zurab Begiashvili, a Kandelakishvili's advocate, insists that his client is innocent, the "Echo of the Caucasus" reports.