Prepared by Messenger Staff
Prosecutors Charge Three Over 2024 Assault on Nika Melia
Georgian prosecutors have charged three men over an August 2024 incident in which opposition politician Nika Melia was assaulted during an election campaign event in Samtredia, western Georgia.
The Prosecutor General's Office said Sulkhan-Saba Nikoleishvili punched Melia in the head on Aug. 11, 2024. It said Melia's associates, Gabriel Kobaidze and Tsotne Mirtskhulava, then retaliated by attacking Nikoleishvili, who suffered a minor injury.
All three face charges under Article 162¹ of the Criminal Code, which covers violence during election campaign events. A court has yet to decide on pre-trial restrictions.
Melia's Ahali party called the case "absurd," saying the charges had resurfaced nearly two years after the incident and amounted to an attempt to intimidate government critics.
"Reviving this case years later serves to intimidate and silence those who are critical of the government," the party said.
Melia, a leader of the Coalition for Change and co-chair of Ahali, has been imprisoned for more than a year following convictions in several cases. He also faces a separate "sabotage" case with seven other opposition politicians accused of crimes against the state.
Police Investigate Reported Attacks on Adjara TV Journalist in Batumi
Georgian police are investigating reports of repeated physical and verbal attacks against Adjara TV journalist and anchor Koba Partenadze in Batumi, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.
The ministry did not specify the legal provision under which the investigation was opened.
Partenadze posted a video showing several unidentified men approaching him and asking him to move aside. One uses abusive and homophobic language and makes a derogatory remark about his bleached hair.
"Where should I follow you, a stranger?" Partenadze replies, saying he is heading to a television station.
He said he had repeatedly faced threats, insults and unwanted physical contact.
"Every evening, I encounter people who insult me, threaten me, and make unwanted physical contact with me," he said. "In recent days, there have been several incidents in which I have been attacked."
The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics called for an urgent investigation and measures to protect Partenadze, urging authorities to identify and hold those responsible accountable.
Partenadze also reported an assault in 2023. At the time, Adjara TV and Radio Public Broadcaster said an unidentified person had attacked him at Radio Adjara. Partenadze said he believed he was targeted because of his appearance.
