Protest rally attracts attention of tourists to Machalikashvili's case

Malkhaz Machalikashvili, the father of Temirlan Machalikashvili, who was killed in a counterterrorist operation (CTO) in the Pankisi Gorge, agreed to be questioned in a case on plotting of a terror act. On May 8, the Malkhaz Machalikashvili's protest in the centre of Tbilisi aroused the interest of tourists.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 7, the Georgian State Security Service announced that Malkhaz Machalikashvili, the father of Temirlan Machalikashvili, killed during the CTO in the Pankisi Gorge, was plotting a terror act in the village of Zemo Machkhaani at the grave of the father of Ioseb Gogashvili, the former first deputy head of the State Security Service. Malkhaz Machalikashvili called the statement of the Georgian State Security Service absurd.

On May 8, Malkhaz Machalikashvili reported that he agreed to come to the Georgian State Security Service and answer the investigator's questions. "Yes, I will visit them and talk to them, despite the absurdity of the accusation," the man told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by phone.

On May 8, during the protest rally in Tbilisi, tourists from different countries took an interest in the posters reporting a brief story of Machalikashvili and Saralidze, reported the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent who came to the place near the parliament building in Tbilisi.

Romy Chilik, a tourist from Turkey, and Joan Hjaui, a tourist from Belgium, said they knew nothing about the stories of Machalikashvili and Saralidze. "Of course, the story is to be wider reported," Romy Chilik told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. She also added that "in Turkey, the police would not allow such actions."

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 9, 2019 at 01:40 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.