10:35, 23 June 2020

Khangoshvili's relatives urge to defend them against Russian special services

Zelimkhan Khangoshvili. Photo: პოლიტიკა https://kronika.ge,

Relatives of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a native of the Pankisi Gorge, who was killed in Berlin, have asked the German and Swedish authorities for protection, declaring fear of persecution by Russian special services.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Zelimkhan Khangoshvili was killed in Berlin on August 23, 2019. A Russian citizen was detained on suspicion of killing him. According to the German General Prosecutor's Office (GPO), the suspected killer had been hired by Russian authorities.

Earlier, there had been a version concerning the alleged involvement of Ramzan Kadyrov's subordinates in the murder of the native of the Pankisi Gorge. Ramzan Kadyrov himself said that the authorities of Chechnya and Russia had not been involved in the murder of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili.

The statement of Khangoshvili family was circulated by his advocated.

"We demand that for those of us who still have not received protection it was finally granted in Germany and, accordingly, in Sweden [...] Unfortunately, last year we painfully realized that the fear of persecution by Russian authorities, because of which we left our homeland, is justified," the website of the German edition "Deutsche Welle" quotes the translation of the appeal of Khangoshvili's relatives.

Relatives have also expressed satisfaction over the fact that "after a thorough investigation," the German Federal Prosecutor's Office has brought charges. "Investigators have found that Zelimkhan, our father, brother and husband, was killed by Russian authorities' order," the statement asserts.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 22, 2020 at 11:25 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.