Exiled opposition leader’s uncle beaten in Tbilisi
By Temuri Kiguradze
Thursday, June 12
Zurab Giguashvili, an honorary chairman in Okruashvili’s For a United Georgia party, was abducted outside his home and taken to the outskirts of the capital where he was beaten and left unconscious, said party leader Eka Beselia.
The news agency Georgia-Online quoted Giguashvili as saying the masked men told him to stop his political activity.
He was hospitalized with multiple injuries, including several broken ribs and a damaged lung. Relatives say his phone and laptop were stolen.
The incident comes after numerous reports of teams of men beating opposition activists. On June 4, the country’s human rights ombudsman said the attacks showed a “systematic pattern” and indicated a serious human rights situation.
Speaking to the Messenger yesterday, Koka Guntsadze, an ally of the For a United Georgia party, echoed Subari’s comments.
Guntsadze said the most recent incident was a continuation of the “political terror” the government is waging to strike fear into opposition parties.
He said there are already 14 recent cases of assaults on opposition activists, none of which are being investigated. Guntsadze said the opposition suspects the police were involved in Giguashvili’s abduction.
Interior Ministry representative Shota Khizanishvili confirmed that the incident was not formally reported. He said the police are aware of the case and will pay “proper attention” to it.
Okruashvili made allegations of government malfeasance and murder plots last September, as he launched his opposition party after a year out of politics. Police arrested him at his party headquarters two days later on corruption charges.
He subsequently left the country and won political asylum in France. In March, Tbilisi City Court found Okruashvili guilty on the extortion charge, sentencing him in absentia to 11 years’ imprisonment.