Opposition nominates father of killed youngster in anti-terrorist raid for its majoritarian candidate

The united opposition, which includes the United National Movement (UNM), Droa, Girchi – More Freedom and European Georgia parties, have nominated Malkhaz Machalikashvili, father of a 19-year-old Temirlan Machalikashvili who was killed in a counter-terrorism raid in the country’s Pankisi gorge in 2017, for its majoritarian candidate in the Duisi village of the gorge. 

Machalikashvili says that he ‘is not a politician’ and that his decision to enter politics is the continuation of his ‘four-year fight to end the rule of the Georgian Dream.’ 

He and his family claim that Temirlan Machalikashvili was not connected with the terrorist organisation Islamic State and that he was mistakenly killed in a ‘poorly planned operation.’ 

Machalikashvili has been demanding the punishment of then head of the State Security Service Vakhtang Gomelauri and his deputy Ioseb Gogashvili. 

He also addressed the European Court of Human Rights. 

The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office closed the investigation into the case back in 2020, revealing ‘no violations of state agencies.’