The jurors delivered a guilty verdict for Ali Baladze and Mamuka Beridze in the case involving the murder of Sergeant Roin Shavadze. Ali Baladze, the former deputy head of the Adjara Constitutional Security Department, was found guilty of organizing the illegal arrest and murder of Roin Shavadze, while Mamuka Beridze, a former special forces officer, was found guilty of illegal arrest and group murder. Both have been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
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Following the announcement of the decision in the Tbilisi City Court, protests and noise from the family members of the convicts ensued, resulting in their expulsion from the courtroom. The spouses of Ali Baladze and Mamuka Beridze claim that the authorities are protecting the real criminals, as they are still working in high positions.
Sergeant Roin Shavadze was killed on August 16, a few days after the 2008 Russia-Georgia war. According to the prosecutor's office, employees of the special unit of the Constitutional Security Department, under the leadership of the head of the main division, first arrested Shavadze in Batumi, severely beat him, and then took him to the border of Kobuleti and Guria, where he was killed with multiple shots from Kalashnikov automatic weapons.
According to the forensic medical examination report, Roin Shavadze had approximately 40 gunshot wounds on his body. Additionally, the deceased had physical injuries resulting from violence before his death, including fractures of the left humerus, left femur, and ribs. Roin Shavadze also had evidence of thermal injuries on his body, likely caused by contact with a lit cigarette. The prosecutor's office alleges that to conceal the illegal arrest and murder of Roin Shavadze, employees of the Criminal Investigation Department falsified the case.
In November 2020, the European Court of Human Rights found that the Georgian state had violated the right to life in the case Shavadze v. Georgia. According to the court's assessment, the current government's claim that Shavadze's death resulted from the necessary use of force to prevent his escape during arrest did not align with the evidence in the case. The Strasbourg Court mandated Georgia to conduct an effective investigation. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe oversaw the execution of the decision and the progress of the investigation.
Fifteen years after the crime, criminal prosecution was initiated against a total of 12 individuals. In July 2023, eight people were arrested on charges of illegal arrest, intentional murder, and exceeding official authority in the case of Roin Shavadze. A search was announced for the current head of the Adjara Police Department, Teimuraz Pataridze, and Giorgi Arabuli, a member of the special forces. In February 2024, the Prosecutor's Office arrested two more individuals, who have been remanded in custody.
