Footballer Death Case: Five More Found Guilty

On March 19, the Tbilisi City Court found five persons guilty on violence charges in connection with a physical confrontation in the lead-up to the June 2020 murder of 19-year-old footballer Giorgi Shakarashvili.

The Court sentenced four of the persons to five years in prison, guilty of participating in group violence (Article 225-2 of the Georgian Criminal Code), and the fifth convict to nine years, as the person was additionally charged for unlawful confinement of the young footballer’s friend. (Article 143-3).

This was the third verdict in the series of trials in connection with the footballer’s death. Earlier in March, the Mtskheta District Court found five persons guilty of Shakarashvili’s murder, while in November 2020 it convicted six others for various group violence charges.

Shakarashvili was found dead on June 22 in the basin of the Aragvi River, four days after he went missing following the series of violent events sparked initially at a birthday party in Mtskheta, some 20 km from Tbilisi. Later, in August 2020, police detained 17 persons overall in connection with the case.

Also Read:

• 19 Year-Old Footballer Case: Court Sentences Two Minors to 10.5 Years

• Autopsy Report into 19-year-old Footballer Case Released

• Court Sends 17 Persons to Pretrial Detention Linked to Death of 19-year-old Footballer

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