“My son was detained under the article for non-reporting, which has now been reclassified under Article 117, which implies complicity in the attack. I did not agree with the previous first article and I do not agree with this one either. This is a high-profile case and I do not want to offend anyone or start talking about conspiracy theories, but this is an injustice that is happening now,” said Merab Malania, father of Giorgi Malania (detained in the Giga Avaliani case) and former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, in a statement to journalists.

According to Malania, he will continue the legal fight both inside the country and abroad.

“I deliberately did not make any public statements until now, because the investigation was ongoing. Of course, I fully accept the responsibility that I bear as a former high-ranking official and former police officer, which is why I remained silent.

During this period, a lot of mud was thrown at me, but I have the obligation to endure it as a former police officer.

As for today, my son was detained under the article for non-reporting, which has now been reclassified under Article 117, meaning complicity in the attack. I did not agree with the previous first article and, of course, I do not agree with this one either. I will continue the legal fight both in Georgia and, if necessary, outside the country’s borders.

[Giorgi Malania] was called by a person [one of the accused] whom he had never seen with his own eyes. The person told him that he wanted to meet and talk with his teacher. There was no talk of any attack. He said that, according to his information, the teacher was treating my son’s childhood friend — that is, his girlfriend — inappropriately. ‘I want to talk to him, come with me.’ Who calls a stranger like that saying ‘come on, let’s go beat someone up’? That was the communication between them. My son did not go along with it because he was not raised that way.

Many people said he was a member of a fascist group, then a street gang member, and so on. My son grew up in such a way that I knew where he was every minute. I used to take him to school and pick him up from school. I also took him to the teacher and picked him up. But then it turned out, as they say, that I was participating in the planning because I took the child to the teacher on the 1st and then picked him up. That is supposedly my crime.

This is a resonant case and I do not want to offend anyone, nor will I start talking about conspiracy theories, but this is an injustice that is happening now,” Merab Malania stated.