On December 1, 2017, in central Tbilisi, two students from Public School No. 51, Davit Saralidze and Levan Dadunashvili, were fatally stabbed by their peers. The conflict began in the school restroom and continued on Khorava Street. Due to the gravity of the crime, the Khorava Street murder immediately became a major topic of public and media attention.

Levan Dadunashvili died on the spot from knife wounds, while Davit Saralidze died later in the hospital. Police arrested one minor, Guga Barbakadze, within hours and declared another suspect, Giorgi Janashia, wanted. He surrendered to the police on December 4. A few days into the investigation, the then-Minister of Internal Affairs, Giorgi Gakharia, announced that “all persons involved in the crime have been identified and detained.” Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili praised the investigation, stating that “there are no more doubts about impunity.” Before the verdict, the Prosecutor’s Office insisted that only the two detained minors were responsible for the murder.

The defense argued that the case was poorly investigated and that many crucial details remained unresolved. Davit Saralidze’s father, Zaza Saralidze, shared this view and began to speak out publicly. He was particularly outraged by the testimony of the prosecution’s so-called “golden witness,” Mikheil Kalandia, who repeatedly changed his statements—first claiming that the accused had no knives during the fight, and later describing in detail who had used one.

Zaza Saralidze called Kalandia his son’s killer and demanded his punishment. He warned that he would start protests if justice was not served. The first rally took place in front of Parliament on May 27, just days before the verdict.

Who killed Davit Saralidze?

On May 31, Judge Eka Areshidze of the Tbilisi City Court announced the verdict. Guga Barbakadze was sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison for the murder of Levan Dadunashvili. Giorgi Janashia received 9 years and 9 months for the attempted murder of Davit Saralidze under aggravating circumstances. The verdict failed to establish who actually killed Davit Saralidze.

After the verdict, Zaza Saralidze left the courtroom in tears and walked toward the Chief Prosecutor’s Office, where he was met by a police cordon. The crowd outside began demanding the resignation of the Chief Prosecutor. Among the thousands gathered was Georgia’s First Lady, Maka Chichua.

Within hours, Chief Prosecutor Irakli Shotadze resigned. However, the protesters did not disperse—they marched toward Parliament, where Saralidze demanded the resignation of all officials involved in shielding his son’s killers.

That evening, Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili came to speak to the crowd, but people shouted him down with cries of “Resign!” Despite the reaction, he later claimed his appearance was “positively received.” Saralidze spent the night in a tent outside Parliament.

The same night, prosecutors summoned high-ranking official Mirza Subeliani for questioning—he was the uncle of witness Mikheil Kalandia and was suspected of pressuring witnesses.

The next morning, June 1, President Giorgi Margvelashvili met with Saralidze. The Georgian Orthodox Patriarchate issued a statement urging peace and discouraging “uncontrolled developments.” That same day, the Khorava Street case was transferred from the Prosecutor’s Office to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for reinvestigation.

#Don’tKill (#ნუმომკლავ)

Protests continued outside Parliament, demanding the government’s resignation, justice for the victims, and punishment of all perpetrators. The movement #ნუმომკლავ (“Don’t Kill”) was formed. Demonstrations spread across the regions, with graffiti and slogans such as “Where is Justice?” and “Two Students Murdered” appearing in public spaces.

In Gori, sanitation workers quickly erased similar protest messages, and police sought to fine journalist Gvantsa Doluashvili for “distorting the city’s appearance.” The court dismissed the case for lack of evidence. In Tbilisi, stencil graffiti appeared with slogans like “2 murdered students + 1 unpunished killer = 3 injustices” and “14 years old. 13 wounds. 0 killers.”

Zaza Saralidze received support from activist Zviad Kuprava, associated with the opposition United National Movement, prompting government officials, including Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, to accuse opposition groups of exploiting the protests for political gain.

Protests continued, and on June 6, Parliament—at the request of the opposition European Georgia party—created a temporary investigative commission. Saralidze ended his protest but resumed it days later, spending more than 40 nights outside Parliament with supporters. Police repeatedly blocked him from setting up tents. On the 46th day, after trying again to pitch tents, he was detained but later released by the Rustavi City Court without charges. Throughout this time, he was joined by Malkhaz Machalikashvili, father of another killed youth.

On September 10, Saralidze began a hunger strike in front of Parliament, demanding the government’s resignation and snap elections. His health quickly deteriorated due to diabetes, and he was hospitalized on September 12.

In November, Tbilisi City Hall asked him to vacate the protest area for the installation of the city’s Christmas tree, but public backlash led officials to move the tree to another location. Civil society groups argued that banning tents violated constitutional rights, launching the petition “I Reject the Christmas Tree, I Choose Humanity.”

Final Verdict

Eventually, the protests subsided. On March 4, 2019, Mirza Subeliani was convicted of failing to report a crime and sentenced to one year and one month in prison. On June 4, 2019, Mikheil Kalandia was arrested for aggravated murder. Zaza Saralidze told TV Pirveli that “justice has finally been served.”

The arrest came a day after the Court of Appeals revised the initial verdict, convicting Giorgi Janashia of murdering Davit Saralidze together with unidentified accomplices and sentencing him to 11 years and 3 months. On February 25, 2020, Mikheil Kalandia received the same sentence, later reduced to 10 years and 6 months under the Juvenile Justice Code.

Three years after the murder, another suspect emerged: on April 14, 2021, police arrested 20-year-old Giorgi Menabde, accusing him of stabbing Davit Saralidze alongside Kalandia and Janashia. On January 11, 2022, the Tbilisi City Court found Menabde guilty and sentenced him to 14 years in prison, reduced to 10 years and 6 months under the Juvenile Justice Code. The Court of Appeals upheld the ruling.