Pro-EU protester Onise Okriashvili attacked in Tbilisi after disinformation campaign

Georgia protester Onise Okriashvili beaten

Stand-up comedian Onise Okriashvili, an active participant in Georgia’s pro-European protests that have been ongoing for nearly two years, was brutally beaten by three people late on July 22 outside his home in Tbilisi’s Vake district.

Before the attack, Okriashvili had become the target of a disinformation campaign by pro-government media. Based on the context of the attack, this appears to have been the reason behind the assault.

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A video of the attack, recorded by eyewitnesses, has spread on social media.

The footage shows three young men brutally beating Onise. “You insulted Nodar Dumbadze (a classic of Georgian literature), how dare you, bastard?” the attackers are heard saying to him.

Onise Okriashvili can be heard calling for help. Several people are nearby, but they do not dare approach him. The desperate screams of a woman trying to stop the attackers can also be heard.

Who is Onise Okriashvili and why did he become a target of propaganda?

Onise Okriashvili is known for his criticism of the ruling Georgian Dream party on social media. He also regularly organises solo protests aimed at drawing public attention — appearing with relevant posters in places where large numbers of people gather, including on public transport.

In recent days, the activist has become the target of a disinformation campaign by pro-government TV channels. They have repeatedly aired a fragment from a comedy show Punchline Therapy, in which he uses a vulgar expression while referring to Nodar Dumbadze, a classic of Georgian literature.

The fragment was shown without context, making it appear as if Okriashvili was directly insulting the writer.

On July 19, the comedian recorded a video in which he said:

“I apologise that in this video I am not talking about more important events in the country. Young people my age are dying every day because of drug use; there are political prisoners in the country; emigration is sharply increasing, and these emigrants have been deprived of the right to vote in elections, along with many other problems.

But for the third day now, Georgian Dream’s propaganda machine has been using all its resources to turn people against me. Here is an example of the video they are using to try to discredit me.“

The conversation in the video excerpt goes:

‘Is there someone you cannot stand?’ ‘What if I say Nodar Dumbadze? (vulgar expression) I will only name our government, no one else.’

“During a performance, we speak hypothetically and can say the most absurd thing that comes to mind at that moment.

This video clearly shows that I am, of course, not insulting (Nodar Dumbadze), but speaking only hypothetically, deliberately using the most absurd example that came to mind at that moment. Comedy often works exactly this way — it uses unexpected twists. That is why the audience laughs at that moment.”

“Just today we were discussing filing a lawsuit against the propaganda media for spreading defamatory claims, and today Onise was attacked,” his wife, Mariam Samushia, told journalists.

She said she heard shouting in the street in the evening. Since Onise had become a target of a propaganda campaign in recent days, she called him to warn him. Only later did she realise that her husband had been attacked.

“This is artificially created hatred,” she said.

The Interior Ministry said a criminal case had been opened over the attack on Onise Okriashvili under Article 126 of Georgia’s Criminal Code (violence). According to reports, one of the attackers has been taken to a police station and is being questioned.

News in Georgia