Mother of murdered teacher claims family faced grave desecration threats ahead of sentencing

The mother of murdered teacher Giga Avaliani has said her family continued to face threats and intimidation ahead of sentencing in the case.

Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Eka Kupatadze said neither the families of Ani Naskidashvili nor Demetre Chikovani had shown remorse.

Kupatadze claimed the family was now being threatened with the desecration of her son’s grave.

According to her, defence lawyers argued in court that Naskidashvili had not believed the killing would actually take place and portrayed the events as “showing off” behaviour by teenagers, a claim she described as absurd.

Kupatadze also criticised arguments presented regarding Chikovani’s role in the case, saying the defendants had divided responsibilities among themselves and that participation at any stage of the crime remained significant.

She said she believed the court would take the factual circumstances of the case into account and deliver guilty verdicts.

Kupatadze added the court has already found Naskidashvili and Chikovani guilty, while sentencing is scheduled for 2 June at 12:00.