Police official in Georgia resigns following bombing of activist

(Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–A high-ranking police official in Georgia resigned Friday evening. His resignation follows that of the interior minister, and is related to the bombing of a rights activist last Wednesday.

The activist, Yuri Vazagasvili, was blown up while standing on the grave of his son Zurab, who was killed by police in 2006 in a hot pursuit situation.

Zurab Vazagashvili’s death became a symbol of the heavy-handed police methods employed during the presidency of Mikheil Saakashvili, and the father became an activist for justice for the victims of such methods.

He blamed the police official who now has resigned, deputy head of Georgia’s criminal police department Otar Mirzoev, of his son’s death.

The Interior Ministry says Mirzoev wrote a letter of resignation after Interior Minister Alexandre Chikaidze said that he would resign Saturday.

Yuri Vazagashvili claimed that Giorgi Dalakishvili, who used to work as head of Tbilisi’s main police department, and Otar Mirzoev were involved in the murder of his son.

Chikaidze on his part wrote in his letter of resignation to the PM that he wanted to resign because of accusations that he was protecting Zurab Vazagashvili’s murderers.

First Deputy Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri will be acting interior minister until a permanent replacement is found.