Nia Imnadze’s will was never that Giga Avaliani be harmed in any form - today the person under my defense has been brought to liability without guilt, without concrete evidence, - this statement was made to journalists by Giorgi Lekishvili, the lawyer of Nia Imnadze, one of the accused in the case of the murder of teacher Giga Avaliani.

According to lawyer Giorgi Lekishvili, 46 telephones have been seized by the investigative body and have been examined. According to him, based on the examination of the materials, they were unable to obtain a single concrete piece of evidence that would prove incitement on the part of Nia Imnadze.

The lawyer states that there is no evidence in the case against Nia Imnadze; accordingly, as he noted, “in the current situation, hope is placed in the court in the sense that it will not allow the possibility of the illegal conviction of a minor.”

According to the lawyer, the prosecution side took “critically incorrect legal decisions” and brought an innocent person to criminal liability.

“In the evidence you will not find a single entry, indirect or direct, that would be connected, for example, with the following - ‘hit him,’ ‘kill him,’ or that would give an instruction or persuade. There is a main question that the prosecution side cannot answer - in what concrete action was Nia Imnadze’s (incitement) expressed. Neither indirect nor direct evidence is found in the case materials. From the correspondence circulated in society it is clearly established what Nia Imnadze’s hardship was. In connection with Nia Imnadze’s hardship, who, in what way and how certain decisions were taken is a subject of the court’s examination, with which Nia Imnadze had no connection either by will or by word. Nia Imnadze’s will was never that Giga Avaliani be harmed in any form in connection with this concrete issue.

In relation to the relationship connected with Giga Avaliani, we have never said that Giga Avaliani was connected in any form with pedophilia. This was never said on our part and this was a statement made by the prosecution side - when he came out of the restraint hearing, Gabashvili was presented to the public as a person fighting against pedophilia and in this connection he indirectly noted his assertion in this regard,” - Giorgi Lekishvili stated.

According to the lawyer’s assertion, what and how Nia Imnadze told (her boyfriend) Gabashvili - there is no information about this in the investigation data. Accordingly, the lawyer noted that Nia Imnadze is detained without foundation and that no evidence of any kind exists.

“Not even a single piece of evidence exists that would prove the charge of incitement in the concrete case. That Nia Imnadze knew nothing is confirmed by the publicly circulated correspondence of Gabashvili, where it is established that Gabashvili and all the persons around Nia were concealing information from Nia about what kind of crime might have existed. Nia has no knowledge of all this. The Prosecutor’s Office acted without foundation, without any evidence whatsoever,” - Giorgi Lekishvili stated.

To the media’s question that if evidence does not exist, then why was Nia Imnadze detained, according to the lawyer’s explanation, the reason for this concrete decision is unknown to him, and why Imnadze’s detention took place should be asked of the prosecutor, Ketevan Sonidze. According to Giorgi Lekishvili, there is also no testimony against Nia Imnadze.

“Nothing exists against Nia Imnadze - neither testimony, nor an SMS, nor any kind of evidence. Today the person under my defense has been brought to liability without guilt, without concrete evidence, and if bringing a person to liability in such a form means that she is doomed, of course she is doomed. Nothing lies in the case,” - Giorgi Lekishvili stated.

In addition, as for the connection of Aleksandre Gabashvili with certain groups, as the lawyer noted, Nia Imnadze knew nothing about this and learned everything from the Prosecutor’s Office briefing.

For reference, in the case of the death of teacher Giga Avaliani, the Prosecutor’s Office brought charges against two more minors - Nia Imnadze and Anastasia Beruashvili - on 6 August. Imnadze was charged under sub-paragraph “l” of Part 3 of Article 25, 117 of the Criminal Code, which means incitement to intentional grievous bodily harm committed in a group, which provides for imprisonment for a term of up to 13 years.

Anastasia Beruashvili was charged under Part 2 of Article 376 of the Criminal Code, which means failure to report an especially grave crime. The said action provides for imprisonment for a term of up to 7 years.

According to the indictment, Nia Imnadze told her friends - Aleksandre Gabashvili and Giorgi Malania - that her teacher Giga Avaliani was allegedly showing excessive attention toward her, whereby she incited Aleksandre Gabashvili, together with accomplices, to attack Giga Avaliani. Ultimately, according to the plan developed by Aleksandre Gabashvili, Giorgi Rikadze and Demetre Chikovani, Aleksandre Gabashvili and Giorgi Rikadze attacked Giga Avaliani in a group, who died 23 days later in a medical institution.

In total, 7 persons have been detained in the case - Aleksandre Gabashvili, Giorgi Rikadze, Ani Naskidashvili, Demetre Chikovani, Giorgi Malania, Nia Imnadze and Anastasia Beruashvili. Of them, four - Aleksandre Gabashvili, Giorgi Rikadze, Ani Naskidashvili and Demetre Chikovani - have been convicted.