MP Ketevan Turazashvili, a member of the Strong Georgia coalition, has appealed to the chairman of the Central Election Commission regarding her father's death and is demanding the immediate release of Teona Japaridze, a member of the Saburtalo District Election Commission.
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According to Turazashvili, on October 23, before the parliamentary elections, Teona Japaridze insulted her father, Aleksandre Turazashvili, who was a representative of the Citizens party on the Saburtalo District Election Commission, during a phone conversation. About an hour later, he died of a heart attack.
"Aleksandre Turazashvili was inspecting district commissions, fulfilling his official duties. Teona Japaridze was informed about this from the neighborhood, and she didn’t like it because she is a supporter of the Georgian Dream. His activity annoyed her, and she called him and insulted him unimaginably. After that, my father called me, very upset, and told me that he had been abused. Forty-six minutes after the call, my mother called and informed me that my father had died.
I request Giorgi Kalandarishvili to immediately release Teona Japaridze from her position to prevent her from harming others. This should also serve as an example to others that in this country, impudence, irresponsibility, and exaggeration will not go unpunished," Turazashvili told journalists.
Shorena Bukhrashvili, a member of the Strong Georgia coalition in the District Election Commission, said that on October 23, Aleksandre Turazashvili called her to inform her about the conversation between Teona Japaridze and him.
"An agitated Mr. Aleksandre told me that he could no longer bear such insults, especially when he was fulfilling his legal duties. It was unimaginable for him to withstand such stress. This was not the first incident with this lady, which I have been repeatedly informed about by the chairman of the District Election Commission. I have also filed a statement, and there is a record of this," Bukhrashvili said.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing; however, lawyer Giorgi Rekhviashvili states that neither the family members of the deceased nor the representatives of the District Election Commission have been interviewed by investigators for three weeks.
"This is a double standard. When it involves an opposition member, they can enforce the law within two hours, but when it involves a representative of the government, their hands are tied. It has been three weeks, and there is no legal outcome. We demand an immediate response," said the lawyer.
On October 23, Ketevan Turazashvili's colleague, Aleksandre Elisashvili, spread the news of Aleksandre Turazashvili's death. He connected the incident to the actions of a member of the District Election Commission and demanded an investigation. The Central Election Commission accused Elisashvili of violating the presumption of innocence and using the incident for his own political purposes.
"Such accusations, without proper evidence and investigation, represent direct pressure on the members of the District Election Commission," stated the CEC.
According to Besik Lachashvili, the chairman of the Saburtalo District Election Commission, he "knows by word of mouth" that a criminal case has been initiated. He confirmed to Georgian News that neither he nor any member of the commission had been summoned for questioning.
