Gakharia Party Demands Investigation Into Parliamentary Brawl, Calls Law Enforcement 'Criminally Silent'
By Messenger Staff
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Berdia Sichinava, Executive Secretary of Gakharia for Georgia, held a briefing on June 29, calling for a criminal investigation into the June 26 parliamentary brawl, which the party characterized as a premeditated group attack organized by Georgian Dream MPs.
Three days have passed since the incident, Sichinava said, and law enforcement has yet to act. "We would like to remind them that the grave crime committed by the Dream MPs against members of the Georgian Parliament, namely the pre-organized, group attack on MPs during the performance of their official duties, in connection with their activities, is punishable by up to 12 years in prison, and no amount of hypocritical apologies can help this, which they committed only because of the public's reaction and not because they regret the crime they committed," he said.
Sichinava noted that under current legislation, media coverage of a crime is sufficient legal grounds to open an investigation, yet no such announcement has been made.
He also drew a broader comparison with what he described as selective justice, referencing cases of young people held in pretrial detention on what he called fabricated charges, and the sentencing of journalist Mzia Amaglobeli. "A mother of 4 children was sentenced to 2 years for writing on a banner with a marker," he said. "In these circumstances, it is not only a political and legal, but also a moral obligation for us to fight to the end, for each victim of Dream's violence."
The June 26 brawl broke out during a parliamentary session after Gakharia party MP Giorgi Sharashidze addressed Kobakhidze and Georgian Dream deputies from the rostrum, referencing Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's recent visit to Georgia. Sharashidze noted that during Aliyev's meeting with Bidzina Ivanishvili, Kobakhidze was standing in the corner, which he said reflected the prime minister's actual standing. Georgian Dream MPs responded with loud shouts, a physical fight broke out in the chamber, and the live parliamentary broadcast was cut.
