20 years jail for man who killed father visiting son’s grave

A police officer has been sentenced to 20 years behind bars after being found responsible for the brutal murder of a man who was visiting a cemetery and the grave of his son.

Today Tbilisi City Court found Giorgi Sosanashvili guilty responsible for detonating an explosion that killed Iuri Vazagashvili at his son’s grave in January 20 this year. Sosanashvili was a police officer in southern Georgia’s Tsalka region.

Georgia’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office released a statement this afternoon that said Sosanashvili would spend 20 years in jail for his crime.

The Office said Sosanashvili was irritated with the fact I. Vazagashvili had spearheaded a public campaign that fought for human rights following the death of his son Zurab Vazagashvili. Z. Vazagashvili was murdered by police officers under the previous state leadership. 

The Office emphasized Sonanashvili was frightened that people he respected might be sentenced and sent to prison if the murder case of Z. Vazagashvili was reopened, which was what I. Vazagashvili was campaigning for.

For this reason, Sonanashvili was motivated to eliminate I. Vazagashvili, said the Office.

So Sosanashvili detonated a bomb at Z. Vazagashvili’s grave that exploded when I. Vazagashvili visited the site,” the Prosecutor’s Office said today.

The Office had drafted nine volumes of materials to present at the trial. About 70 witnesses were summoned for questioning and the results from 20 different expertise conclusions were analysed over four months.

Meanwhile last month Tbilisi City Court sent three former Georgian law enforcement officials to prison for the premeditated murder of Z. Vazagashvili and Alexander Khubulov.  Two former officials including former head of the Criminal Police Department Irakli Pirtskhalava were sentenced to 12 years behind bars and one for eight years. 

The Court said the former officials killed innocent Z. Vazagashvili and Khubulov in May 2006 and faked documents to try and sell their crime as an act of self-defence.