The Special Investigation Service of Georgia considered it inappropriate to re-investigate the death of Chechen-Kist Temirlan Machalikashvili. He was shot dead by security forces during a special operation in the Pankisi Gorge.

Previously, human rights activists pointed to a number of violations by the investigation and the prosecutor’s office, which could have been intentional. This complicated the subsequent decision by the European Court of Human Rights.

At the beginning of 2023, the ECHR recognized that the Georgian authorities did not ensure a thorough investigation into the circumstances of the death of Temirlan Machalikashvili. According to the court decision, the relatives of the deceased must be paid 25 thousand euros as compensation for moral damage.

In 2017, security forces carried out a special operation in the Pankisi Gorge, during which Temirlan Machalikashvili was mortally wounded. According to the security service, the young man tried to throw a grenade at the security forces, so the special forces shot at him. Relatives of the deceased denied this version.

After the death of his son, his father Malkhaz Machalikashvili demanded an effective investigation into the incident and punishment of all those responsible, and repeatedly went out to protest.

The Georgian Prosecutor General's Office came to the conclusion that the actions of the special forces soldier who shot Machalikashvili were justified.