Prepared by Messenger Staff
Tbilisi Court Releases Maritime Agency Head on Bail Following Suicide Attempt Investigation
Tbilisi City Court has released Aleksi Akhvlediani, director of Georgia's Maritime Transport Agency, on bail of GEL 30,000 after prosecutors charged him with negligent storage of a firearm. The charges are linked to the alleged suicide attempt of Tornike Rizhvadze, the former head of the Adjara government.
Rizhvadze, who resigned in April 2024, remains in serious condition and is on mechanical ventilation after being hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the lung. Authorities say the incident occurred in the early hours of July 7 at Akhvlediani's residence in Sagarejo, located in the eastern Kakheti region.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, Rizhvadze was visiting Akhvlediani when he accessed a firearm left unattended in a marquee near the house. Investigators say Rizhvadze then "secretly moved it to the guest bedroom and, while alone, shot himself in the chest in an attempted suicide, resulting in a severe bodily injury."
Police launched an investigation under Article 115 of Georgia's Criminal Code, which covers incitement to suicide. Prosecutors argued that Akhvlediani's failure to securely store the firearm enabled Rizhvadze to obtain it.
Akhvlediani's defense said the two men are longtime friends. "They frequently visited each other," his lawyer told reporters, adding that Akhvlediani "was not near Rizhvadze when the incident occurred." She said her client rushed Rizhvadze to the hospital before paramedics arrived, which she believes likely saved his life.
Samadashvili: OSCE Statement Confirms Georgian Dream's Fear of Democratic Oversight
Salome Samadashvili, a leader of the opposition party Lelo - Strong Georgia, said the recent statement by the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) confirms that the ruling Georgian Dream party has no intention of maintaining even a democratic façade in the lead-up to Georgia's local elections.
"The OSCE statement, which expresses concern over the fact that Georgian Dream has not officially invited observers for the local self-government elections, confirms what we have been saying for a long time," Samadashvili said. "This is a government that genuinely has no interest in creating any democratic facade for elections. These are not elections; this is a battlefield in which the opposition must fight."
Samadashvili argued that the OSCE's call for an observation mission underscores the importance of the upcoming vote, scheduled for October 4, as a critical political contest. "The OSCE's appeal to the authorities to invite its observation mission also confirms that the OSCE views the local self-government elections precisely as an arena for conducting a significant political battle," she said.
She emphasized that the OSCE is not preemptively declaring the elections illegitimate but is instead urging the government to ensure proper observation mechanisms. "This further confirms that, in reality, Bidzina Ivanishvili knows he will lose significant positions in the local elections and is so frightened that he does not even want to invite the OSCE observation mission to his government," Samadashvili added, referring to the Georgian Dream founder and influential political figure.
In its July 7 statement, ODIHR said it was "deeply concerned" about recent developments in Georgia and reiterated its willingness to observe the elections if the government sends an invitation in time. The Office noted that such a step would serve the interests of transparency and public confidence in democratic institutions.
