Family of Deceased 23-year-old Programmer Demands FBI Involvement

Family members and relatives of the deceased 23-year-old programmer Tamar Bachaliashvili are holding a rally in front of the US Embassy in Georgia. As Tamar Bachaliashvili's mother, Teona Tamazashvili, told reporters, the family wants the FBI to be involved in the case.

The mother is also requesting a meeting with US Ambassador Kelly Degnan.

Teona Tamazashvili knelt in front of the embassy building and once again demanded an objective investigation of the case. She said if the Federal Bureau of Investigation does not get involved in the investigation in the coming days, she will start a hunger strike.

The family members of the deceased were met by US Embassy officials. They expressed their condolences to Bachaliashvili's family and introduced the procedures related to the involvement of the FBI in the investigation. The embassy clarifies that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will not be involved in the ongoing investigation in Georgia unless it receives a formal request from the state.

23-year-old Tamar Bachaliashvili, the young programmer who went missing in unclear circumstances on July 18, was found dead in her own car in Tetritskaro forest, Kvemo Kartli region in southern Georgia after a four-day search. 

Family members of the deceased say that they do not have relatives or friends in Tetritskaro district, and so it is unclear for them why the young woman would have gone there. 

They suppose that the tragic incident might be linked to her work.

The investigation has not yet determined whether it was suicide or murder, however, the family members categorically rule out the idea of suicide. 

By Ana Dumbadze 

Related Story: Missing Young Woman Found Dead in Forest after 4 Days of Search