Rustavi City Court ordered pre-trial detention for the mother and uncle of a 14-year-old murdered girl.

As the prosecutor stated after the session, the prosecution had a well-founded assumption that they forced the 14-year-old child to get married against her will.

"The prosecution had a reasonable assumption that these people had committed the act of forcing the child to get married against her will. They did not inform the law enforcement authorities about this fact. The court considered that these persons could influence witnesses, especially the mother of the accused, who possesses the most important information in the given criminal case, and that they could commit a new crime. Taking into account these threats, the court ordered pre-trial detention for both of them," said the prosecutor.

According to her, at this stage, based on the evidence obtained, no complicity of the father of the deceased 14-year-old child can be found.

"When the 14-year-old child was being forced, the father was not in Georgia", said the prosecutor.

For information, the investigation conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs established that in the summer of 2023, in order to force a minor to marry him, the abductor illegally deprived the minor of her freedom and brought her to the village of Lambalo in the Sagarejo district, where the victim's right to free movement was limited. Despite this, the minor managed to escape, contact her mother with a stranger's mobile phone and report her abduction, which also became known to the uncle of the abducted minor.

Although the minor's mother and uncle learned about the serious crime committed against the 14-year-old girl, they believed that the minor did not have the right to express free will and make a choice, they did not report the crime to the law enforcement authorities and forced the child to live with the abductor.

Law enforcement officers arrested the victim's uncle on October 11, based on the judge's ruling.

The Prosecutor's Office charged both perpetrators with forced marriage and non-reporting of crime.

source: IPN