Georgian opposition leader beaten up and blames governing party members

The UK’s ambassador to Georgia, Gareth Ward, said developments in the political crisis in recent days had been “extremely worrying”. “Renewed violence against opposition politicians and arbitrary detention of journalists and protesters is unacceptable,” he said.

Gakharia is not the first opposition leader to face violence in recent weeks. Nika Gvaramia, who heads Coalition for Change, was knocked to the ground unconscious when he was detained in the capital, Tbilisi, last month.

Dozens of Georgian journalists and protesters have also been attacked and injured by pro-government thugs during the nightly protests.

Georgian Dream has been accused by the EU and US of democratic backsliding, and opposition groups accuse the party and its billionaire founder Bidzina Ivanishvili of pursuing Russia’s interests, while the vast majority of Georgians want to join the EU.

Giorgi Gakharia was formerly a leading member of Georgian Dream until 2021 serving as interior minister and then as prime minister, before setting up his own For Georgia opposition party.

In a statement, Georgia’s ombudsman Levan Ioseliani condemned the attacks on both Gakharia and Zviad Koridze. He called for an immediate response “so that attacks on politicians and journalists are not incited”.

Gakharia’s party was one of four opposition groups that secured seats in the October elections, but they all refused to take up their seats, accusing the ruling party of rigging the vote.

The European Parliament has called for a re-run of the election, describing it as neither free nor fair, and the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has accused the government of using repression against the opposition.