Prepared by Messenger Staff
Batumi Mayor Archil Chikovani Resigns
On May 13, Archil Chikovani announced his resignation as Mayor of Batumi in a Facebook post, marking another high-profile departure amid ongoing changes within the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party's ranks in the Autonomous Republic of Adjara.
"It has been a great honor and an important responsibility to serve as the leader of the city. I would like to thank the citizens of Batumi for their expressed trust and support, and thank the team with whom I worked for years for the welfare of our city," Chikovani wrote, also extending gratitude to the "big Georgian Dream family" and pledging loyalty to the ruling party.
Chikovani, 43, was elected mayor in 2021. He previously served as deputy mayor in 2020 and assumed the role of acting mayor following the resignation of Lasha Komakhidze. From 2018 to 2021, he headed the administration of the government of Adjara.
His resignation follows the recent departure of Tornike Rizhvadze as head of the local government of Adjara. Rizhvadze was replaced by Sulkhan Tamazashvili, a UK-sanctioned Ministry of Internal Affairs officer, who was nominated to the post by GD-elected President Mikheil Kavelashvili.
It remains unclear who will succeed Chikovani as mayor.
TV Pirveli Crew Attacked in Martvili
A crew from TV Pirveli was attacked today in Martvili. The attackers confiscated equipment belonging to the station and physically assaulted journalist Mariam Makasarashvili and cameraman Nukri Kapiashvili.
According to Makasarashvili, the crew was reporting in Martkopi, investigating the reasons behind the resignation of Giorgi Shinjikashvili, the First Deputy of the State Representative in Kvemo Kartli. They went to his residence, where they were attacked by Shinjikashvili's father.
"We were at Giorgi Shinjikashvili's house. We went there after the Vice-Governor announced on social media that he was stepping down. Naturally, there were questions to be asked, so we went to his home, where members of his family were present. We communicated with his father and recorded an interview, in which he said he had just learned that his son had resigned. As we were leaving the area and filming additional footage, Giorgi Shinjikashvili's father suddenly became aggressive toward me and my cameraman," the journalist said.
"He proceeded to physically assault us - first, he took the station-owned camera we had used for the interview. Then, when he saw me standing next to the cameraman with my personal phone in hand, he grabbed that as well and physically assaulted me. He even slapped me," she added.
The journalist required on-site medical assistance. Later in the day, it was confirmed that she suffered a concussion and will need to remain in the hospital for several days.
TV Pirveli reports that the police arrived at the scene with a delay of one hour and twenty minutes. In response to questions about the delay, police officers reportedly said: "We came as soon as we could to avoid another possible incident."
According to the Special Investigation Service, an investigation has been launched under Article 154 of the Criminal Code, which refers to the unlawful interference in a journalist's professional activities. The offense is punishable by a fine, 120 to 140 hours of community service, up to two years of corrective labor, or house arrest for six months to two years.
