Giorgi Gakharia, Georgia’s former prime minister and current leader of the opposition party For Georgia, was hospitalized Tuesday night after being attacked in a hotel lobby in the Black Sea city of Batumi.
Gakharia sustained injuries to his face and head during what his party described as a “brutal, coordinated group attack.” Ana Buchukuri, a spokeswoman for the party, confirmed the assault to Reuters.
“He was brutally beaten but survived,” Buchukuri said, adding that Gakharia’s condition was stable.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Gakharia assured supporters of his recovery. However, his party accused the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) government of orchestrating the attack.
“This politically motivated attack is a blatant attempt to intimidate the opposition and suppress dissenting voices,” For Georgia said in a statement.
The attack comes amid heightened political tensions in Georgia following an October parliamentary election that the opposition claims was rigged by the GD party, which has been in power since 2012.
Protests have erupted across the country, with nightly demonstrations in the capital, Tbilisi, and other cities. The government’s decision to freeze European Union accession talks until 2028 has further fueled unrest.
Rights groups have criticized the government for cracking down on pro-EU demonstrators, citing hundreds of arrests and reports of police brutality.
“The ineffective response of investigative bodies to crimes against opposition figures, journalists, and activists worsens the criminal environment in Georgia,” said the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association in a statement condemning the attack on Gakharia.
The assault on Gakharia is the latest in a series of violent incidents targeting opposition leaders and journalists. In December, Nika Gvaramia, leader of the Coalition for Change party, was injured and briefly jailed after being detained by police during a protest in Tbilisi.
Buchukuri said the attackers who targeted Gakharia have not yet been identified, and the party has urged authorities to review security footage from the hotel.
A spokesperson for the ruling Georgian Dream party did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
