It is right before daybreak on December 26. Village Duisi in Pankisi Gorge is wrapped in darkness. Nineteen-year-old Temirlan is laying in his bed. He does not know anything yet. It has been one month since anti-terrorist special operation orchestrated on Gabriel Salosi Av- enue in Tbilisi.2 State Security Service of Georgia declares that individuals detained and liq- uidated during the special operation planned to attack diplomatic missions in Georgia and Turkey. ey also maintain that Georgian citizens assisted the group members in traveling on the Turkish territory, and entering Georgia. Anti-Terrorist Service of the State Security considers Temirlan Machalikashvili as one of the accomplices of the group. Neither Temirlan nor his family know anything about this. ey do not know anything since Temirlan has not yet been accused or detained for questioning. An armed special operation is being planned. Why is Temirlan not detained for questioning?

On that particular day, Temirlan spent his time helping his father in family farming. His father had cut bean poles in the elds and asked Temirlan to carry them down. When he was nished with family chores, he went to the Mosque as usual to perform night prayers (namaz). A erwards he had dinner with his family and went to his room. Everybody went to sleep.

At noon, on December 26, the State Security Service holds a special brie ng. e Georgian public is informed that
“five Georgian citizens – four of them in Pankisi villages and one in Tbilisi, have been detained as a result of special operations held by the Counterterrorism Department of the State Security Service on the morning of December 26 in Tbilisi and Akhmeta Municipality”.

Among those detained is Temirlan Machalikashvili. It is announced during the brie ng that he has been injured. Temirlan’s parents remember the following: at around 4 in the morning they heard gunshots and their door being broken into. ey immediately went outside. e backyard and the porch were lled by special forces. ey did not allow the parents to move…