Mikheil Kalandia Remains in Custody

According to the court’s judgment, Mikheil Kalandia, one of the main witnesses of the notorious Khorava Street murders, will remain in custody. The sides presented their evidence at today’s court session, where the case of Kalandia was discussed. During the session, the lawyer of Mikheil Kalandia raised the issue of changing the preventive measure. Despite the defense’s demand to change imprisonment with less severe measure, the judge decided to leave him in custody.

According to the lawyer of Kalandia, Ana Kotetishvili, the judgment does not mean that the defense will stop fighting. 

“The defense will repeatedly appeal the court with the same demand”, the lawyer said.

Mikheil Kalandia was detained amid the Khorava street murder of December 2017, which left two teenagers – Davit Saralidze and Levan Dadunashvili – stabbed to death. He was officially charged for the murder of Davit Saralidze.

He was sentenced to imprisonment as a preventive measure by Tbilisi City Court on June 6. Kalandia was charged by the Prosecutor’s Office under Subparagraphs “B” and “E”, Paragraph II, Article 109 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, involving intentional murder of a minor committed by a group of persons in aggravating circumstances.

Mikheil Kalandia does not plead guilty.

By Ana Dumbadze