Former Georgian PM Giorgi Gakharia accuses Ivanishvili of ordering attack on him
Former Georgian PM Gakharia says Ivanishvili ordered attack
Leader of the For Georgia party and former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia was physically attacked outside the Sheraton Hotel in Batumi on January 15, 2025. One of the attackers was identified as Dito Samkharadze, a member of the ruling Georgian Dream party. Journalist Zviad Koridze was also assaulted during the incident.
The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs has launched an investigation into the attack on the ex-premier.
At a special briefing, Gakharia provided an update on the investigation, stating that Georgian Dream is not interested in ensuring a thorough and fair inquiry. As a result, Gakharia and his supporters have formed a special group to investigate the incident independently.
What did Gakharia say?
“I was in Batumi attending court hearings involving members of our party. When I returned to the Sheraton Hotel, I found a group of people at the entrance who began spitting at me and shouting insults even before I could go inside, essentially launching an attack.
It appeared that one of them was recording everything on their phone, and the hotel lobby was deserted—there were no people or staff. The attackers moved clumsily, and I noticed they were armed.
I won’t deny that I reacted to the attack by pouring the remnants of my coffee from a paper cup on them. After that, they attacked me as a group. As the doctors told me, I lost consciousness. <…>
As the investigation progresses and considering the behavior of certain propaganda TV channels, it’s clear that the authorities have no intention of conducting a fair investigation. Several factors point to this: videos recorded by the attackers were broadcast on a TV channel, while footage from security cameras has vanished. Of course, significant pressure was exerted on the Sheraton management to make this happen.
We have formed a special group to investigate the incident and determine who was involved, how the attack was organized, and who planned it.
Bidzina Ivanishvili has long been threatening me and my family in various ways, and many of you are witnesses to this. But today, I want to emphasize that I am not concerned with the identity of the perpetrator of this violent attack. I am focused on the person who ordered it, the primary source of violence in this country, who inflicts it daily on ordinary citizens.
I view [Ivanishvili] as the main source of evil in Georgia.
We must all understand that for Ivanishvili, who has taken the country hostage, the main values are money and power. We must do everything to strip him of both,” Gakharia stated.
