TBILISI, August 7 – Roman Shamatava, a former senior security official in Georgia’s now-disbanded Constitutional Security Department (CSD) – locally known as “Kudi” – has been released from prison after completing a 12-year sentence for murder.
Shamatava had been convicted in connection with the 2008 disappearances and killings of two men: Davit Tsindeliani, a forest ranger, and Paata Kardava, a Defense Ministry intelligence officer. Both went missing shortly after the August 2008 war between Russia and Georgia. At the time, their cases remained uninvestigated, but following a change in government in 2012, a formal inquiry was launched.
According to previous reports by the Georgian Interior Ministry, Tsindeliani was abducted by state security officials, taken to Batumi on Georgia’s Black Sea coast, and executed at sea on orders allegedly given by Shamatava. Kardava also disappeared under similar circumstances. Investigators alleged the men were suspected of collaborating with Russian or separatist forces, though no trials were held under the previous administration.
Shamatava had initially received a 16-year prison sentence, later reduced to 12 years under an amnesty law. His release was marked by social media tributes from supporters, including members of the opposition United National Movement, who described him as a “hero of our time.”
The case remains politically sensitive in Georgia, where accountability for abuses committed during the administration of former President Mikheil Saakashvili continues to divide public opinion.
