PO offers agreement to Moris Machalikashvili

The family of Moris Machalikashvili, who is accused of violence during protests in Tbilisi, insists on his conclusion a procedural deal in hope for his speedy release. Machalikashvili denies the charges against him and is ready to admit only that he had accidentally pushed a law enforcer, said his advocate.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that after the June 2019 riots in Tbilisi, 19 persons were detained and accused of using violence during protests. Among the detainees there was Moris Machalikashvili, a nephew of Malkhaz Machalikashvili, whose son was shot dead during a special operation in Pankisi.

The session on the case of Moris Machalikashvili was held on January 31 at the Tbilisi City Court.

The video circulated by the Prosecutor’s Office (PO) shows that during the rally, Moris Machalikashvili once fell down on a policeman's shield; and in the other episode, he ran into a policeman when he was heading towards the tent set up by Malkhaz Machalikashvili with some of his things, Mari Kublashvili told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Currently, Moris and his family are studying the above PO's procedural deal, said Ms Kublashvili. "If we are offered that Moris should admit of pushing the policeman without intent, while moving towards the tent with his uncle's belongings, then we'll conclude the deal. But if they offer him to admit that he had deliberately participated in the rally by previous concert, then we'll categorically reject it," she has explained, adding that Moris wouldn't admit his guilt and is ready to stay in custody, but his family insists on the deal with investigators in order to have him back at large as soon as possible.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 1, 2020 at 05:03 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.