Giorgi Antsukhelidze ( ka, გიორგი ანწუხელიძე; 18 August 1984 – 9–10 August 2008) was a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

soldier who was murdered during the hostilities in

South Ossetia South Ossetia, ka, სამხრეთი ოსეთი, ( , ), officially the Republic of South Ossetia – the State of Alania, is a partially recognised landlocked state in the South Caucasus. It has an officially stated populat ...

in the course of the

Russia–Georgia war The 2008 Russo-Georgian WarThe war is known by a variety of other names, including Five-Day War, August War and Russian invasion of Georgia. was a war between Georgia, on one side, and Russia and the Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics of Sou ...

of August 2008. He is the subject of two Internet videos showing his interrogation and

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...

by the South Ossetian militants. He was posthumously awarded the Order of National Hero by the Georgian government in 2013.

Military service and death

Giorgi Antsukhelidze was born in 1984 in the village of Alvani in the highland

Akhmeta district Akhmeta ( ka, ახმეტის მუნიციპალიტეტი, ''Axmeṫis municiṗaliṫeṫi'') is the administrative – territorial unit in Eastern Georgia, in the region of Kakheti. The administrative center of Akhmeta muni ...

in northeast Georgia. He was conscripted in the

Georgian Armed Forces The Defence Forces of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს თავდაცვის ძალები, tr), or Georgian Defence Forces (GDF), are the combined military forces of Georgia, tasked with the defense of the nation's indep ...

in 2001. He then served in various infantry units, headquartered at

Senaki Senaki ( ka, სენაკი; xmf, სანაკი) is a town in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, western Georgia. It is located at around between the rivers Tekhura/i and Tsivi, at an elevation of 28–38 meters above sea level. Senaki is ...

and then at

Vaziani The Vaziani Military Base is located about twenty kilometers outside Tbilisi at Latitude 41.6947 Longitude 45.0467, Georgia. Structure The main base is spread over 10,000 hectares. The Vaziani airfield—location: —has strategic importance as ...

. Junior Sergeant Antsukhelidze served as an assistant gunner in the 41st Battalion of the 4th Infantry Brigade during the Russia–Georgia war of August 2008. He went

missing in action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been killed, wounded, captured, ex ...

on 9 August 2008 during the

battle of Tskhinvali The Battle of Tskhinvali ( ka, ცხინვალის ბრძოლა; russian: link=no, Бои за Цхинвали) was a battle for the city of Tskhinvali, capital of the breakaway state of South Ossetia. It was the only major battle ...

as Georgian forces were advancing into the Shankhai district of

Tskhinvali Tskhinvali ( ka, ცხინვალი ) or Tskhinval ( os, Цхинвал, Чъреба, Tskhinval, Chreba, ; rus, Цхинва́л(и), r=Tskhinvál(i), ) is the capital of the disputed ''de facto'' independent Republic of South Ossetia, int ...

, and was considered as such until December 2008, when his body was identified through

DNA testing Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

remains retrieved from the South Ossetian military. He was buried at the fraternal cemetery of Georgian soldiers at Mukhatgverdi near

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...

. He was survived by his wife Maka Chikviladze and two children.

Allegations of torture

In January 2009 two video recordings emerged on the Internet showing soldiers in the South Ossetian uniforms torturing a captured Georgian soldier whom the relatives identified as Antsukhelidze. The video footage shows the militants, speaking in Ossetian and Georgian, interrogating the prisoner, forcing him to kneel and ordering him to kiss the earth. The captured soldier in a Georgian uniform is shown being repeatedly beaten and replying to each question: "I have no idea". One of the torturers is heard shouting in Ossetian: "Look, what a tough guy!". In April 2010, the Georgian

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

Georgian Young Lawyer's Association filed a claim to the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that a ...

in favor of the Antsukhelidze family. The claim refers to facts of torture and murder by Russian and Ossetian militaries. A high-ranking South Ossetian officer, Soslan Pukhayev, claimed by the Georgian reports to have been associated with the murder of Antsukhelidze, was arrested by the Georgian police in July 2009.

Awards and memory

On 15 April 2013

President of Georgia President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Mikheil Saakashvili Mikheil Saakashvili ( ka, მიხეილ სააკაშვილი ; uk, Міхеіл Саакашвілі ; born 21 December 1967) is a Georgian and Ukrainian politician and jurist.

posthumously awarded Giorgi Antsukhelidze the Order of National Hero. Antsukhelidze had earlier been awarded the Order of Vakhtang Gorgasali, 1st Class. Antsukhelidze's name was given to a NCO school operated by the Ministry of Defense of Georgia in November 2013. He was also honored by President

Giorgi Margvelashvili Giorgi Margvelashvili ( ka, გიორგი მარგველაშვილი; born 4 September 1969) is a Georgian academic and politician who was the fourth President of Georgia, in office from 17 November 2013 to 16 December 2018. ...

in his inaugural speech in November 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Antsukhelidze, Giorgi 1984 births 2008 deaths Military personnel from Georgia (country) Military personnel killed in the Russo-Georgian War Prisoners of war from Georgia (country) Torture victims from Georgia (country) National Heroes of Georgia People from Kakheti Military personnel missing in action