The non-governmental organization ‘Sapari’ is looking to join the investigation into the murder of an Azerbaijani woman in Georgia in order to represent the victim’s family.
The organization’s chair, Baia Pataraia, shared details of the case on social media, claiming the woman was found dead in an apartment in Tbilisi’s Varketili district and suggesting the killing was a case of suspected femicide.
Pataraia alleged that the victim’s relatives have blamed the woman for her own death, and justified the alleged killer’s actions as an attempt to restore the family’s “honor.”
‘Sapari’ has asked the Prosecutor’s Office to allow the organization to represent the victim’s sister, who lives in Azerbaijan, so it can access the case materials.
In her post, Pataraia claimed the victim, an orphan from Azerbaijan, had traveled to Georgia with her boyfriend after he promised they would live and work together. She alleged the woman was later assaulted, abandoned, and left without money before being taken in by an Armenian woman living in Georgia.
Pataraia further claimed that a male relative later took the woman to an apartment in Varketili, saying he would help her return to Azerbaijan after the situation had calmed down.
The woman was later reported missing by her younger sister. Pataraia alleged that when the Armenian woman went to check on her, she learned neighbors had reported hearing a violent argument the previous night. Police forced entry into the apartment and found the woman dead, she wrote.
Pataraia claimed the suspected killer fled to Turkey and that a search has been launched.
She said ‘Sapari’ had formally applied to the Prosecutor’s Office to be involved in the case, adding that the organization is waiting for a decision on whether it will be allowed to represent the victim’s family.
Pataraia also alleged that the case has been described by some relatives in Azerbaijan as an “honor crime,” arguing that this increases the importance of ensuring the investigation is conducted transparently and the suspect is held accountable.
