The Mtskheta District Court sentenced Davit Gurtsiev and Alik Tamboev - officers of the occupied regime’s law enforcement body - to life imprisonment in absentia over the torture murder case of Archil Tatunashvili, a 35-year-old Georgian, who died at the hands of the Russian-backed authorities in Tskhinvali in 2018.

According to General Prosecutor’ Office, Gurtsiev and Taboev are internationally wanted under the red notice.

The court confirmed that on February 22, 2018, after Tatunashvili crossed into Akhalgori, Gurtsiev and Taboev detained him and took him to the Akhalgori security service building, where he was handcuffed and handed over to unidentified officers who transferred him for torture to Tskhinvali.

Tatunashvili’s body was inflicted more than 100 injuries as a result of which the late Georgian soldier died.

His murder is a high-profile case. The Georgian government raises Tatunashvili’s issue during all local and international occasions featuring occupied territories of Georgia.