Tamar Toradze Urges Senator Risch not to Call Giorgi Rurua "political prisoner"

Tamar Toradze, a citizen of America, sister of the ‘Toradze Brothers’, killed in 1992 along with seven family members, addresses Senator Jim Risch with an open letter, urging him not to call Giorgi Rurua, the founder and shareholder of Mtavari Arkhi TV, who was arrested for illegal possession and carrying of a firearm on November 18, 2019, a "political prisoner" and facilitate an investigation against him.

"Dear Senator Risch,

"Addressing you is Tamar Toradze, a citizen of the United States of America. I decided to write this letter after encountering your statement on Twitter, in which you called on the Georgian authorities to release political prisoners. I would like to bring to your attention that Giorgi (Zhorika) Rurua is actually a murderer and former crime boss.

"I am Georgian by birth. I was forced to leave my homeland by a terrible family tragedy. Had it not been for the humanism of the United State and the kindness and compassion of the American people, I would probably not be alive today, sharing the fate of seven members of my family.

'As a friend and supporter of Georgia, you are probably well aware that in the 1990s, much like many post-Soviet countries, Georgia became embroiled in a civil confrontation inspired by an empire that was doomed to collapse.

"Civil wars, lawlessness, and turmoil are often accompanied by rampaging criminal gangs. One such criminal gang was the Brotherhood of Evil, as it was known in Tbilisi, which was led by Giorgi (Zhorika) Rurua, who was implied as a political prisoner in your statement. He is currently under arrest, charged with the illegal purchase and storage of weapons.

"In February 1992, Giorgi (Zhorika) Rurua, along with members of his gang, shot and wounded my brothers, Zaza and Lasha Toradze. On 3 March 1992, Giorgi (Zhorika) Rurua and his criminal gang shot and killed my brother Lasha, as well as my mother and father, in their car as they were returning from hospital. Next, they surrounded our house and shot and killed my two brothers, Kakha and Imedo, in front of my sisters who were children at the time. After a while, Giorgi (Zhorika) Rurua and his gang found and kidnapped my older brother Zaza. Two years after this tragedy, they also kidnapped my younger brother Paata. To this day, we do not know the whereabouts of Zaza and Paata – they are still missing.

"You would be justified in asking the following question: Given the grave crimes listed above, why have Giorgi (Zhorika) Rurua and his criminal gang not been held accountable until now? The reason is that he and his gang found themselves on the winning side of the civil war. Subsequently, on 29 August 1995, Giorgi (Zhorika) Rurua fled the country after a failed terrorist attack on former President Eduard Shevardnadze, of which he was one of the organizers. This eventually led to his extradition to Georgia from abroad. As a wanted person in connection with this and other criminal cases, Giorgi (Zhorika) Rurua found himself in a Georgian prison.

"Not long thereafter, Saakashvili's United National Movement party came to power as a result of a coup, which was referred to as the Rose Revolution in Georgia. Giorgi (Zhorika) Rurua’s brother, Nikoloz(Nika) Rurua, became an influential member of the government. He became the chairman of the Defense and Security Committee of Parliament and served as the Minister of Culture in Saakashvili's government. Girogi (Zhorika) Rurua was released from prison early.

"President Saakashvili's and Nikoloz(Nika) Rurua's patronage prevented justice from being served over the years, and Giorgi (Zhorika) Rurua avoided punishment for the numerous crimes he committed. He remained a free man, unpunished for his previous murderous behavior until recently when he was returned to prison. For all these years, I have been trying to ensure that this inhuman crime against my family was properly investigated. However, given the patronage by the United National Movement and Saakashvili, the fact that witnesses were scared to come forward, and constant appeals regarding the statute of limitations, the investigation of the case was hindered in every way until today.

"As a citizen of the United States, I urge you – a senator elected by the people of a free, democratic, and just country – to call on the Government of Georgia to investigate the heinous crimes committed by the murderer Giorgi (Zhorika) Rurua against my family and many other Georgian families and to sentence him to the appropriate punishment, rather than recognizing him as a political prisoner and freeing him!

“In God we trust" is one of the symbols of the United States of America. I too trust in God, and I trust His justice. I also trust in the United States and in the righteousness of those elected by its people. There is a proverb in Georgia that states that "justice travels by cart," that is to say, it moves very slowly but it does move nonetheless. I want to believe that the Georgian judiciary and our American friends will do everything to ensure that justice reaches the door of my devastated family.

Sincerely,

US citizen Tamar Toradze," reads the letter. 

The letter follows Senator Jim Risch's statement released on May 12, calling on the Georgian political parties to fully implement the agreement signed on March 8. 

The senator says he expects that Georgia's political parties will fully comply with the March agreement, relating both to the release of political prisoners and progress in the new electoral system.

By Ana Dumbadze 

Related Story: US Congressmen Call on Political Parties to Fully Implement March 8 Agreement