GEORGIA: Alleged Suicide Attempt & more – 10th July 2025

Gamarjobat from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Georgia Update from the 10th of July twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Georgia.

On Friday, 4th July, Georgian Dream or the Kotsebi president Mikheil Kavelashvili offered imprisoned opposition politicians a pardon if they submit a formal request and confirm their intent to run in the October municipal elections.

This move fuels long-standing rumors that the arrests aimed at pressuring opposition parties to participate in elections and allowing the Kotsebi to maintain a democratic image.

As we’ve reported in previous shows, the opposition leaders have been sent to prison for refusing to appear before a parliamentary investigative committee set up by the Kotsebi to look into alleged political crimes by the previous government. So far, three of four leaders from the Coalition for Change or Tvslilebebistvis, two leaders of the Strong Georgia Coalition or Dzlieri-Lelo, one member of the United National Movement or the Natsebi, and the former minister of defence under the Natsebi have been arrested.

Just a day after, opposition party Dzlieri-Lelo held a briefing to announce it will run in the October municipal elections, even with its leaders Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze behind bars. The party denied that the decision is connected to the offer of the Presidential pardon. That holds up, since Dzlieri-Lelo has supported participation for months, before their leaders were arrested.

Still, the decision caused major fallout among the opposition. It divided not only the broader opposition but also the party itself. Three members of Dzlieri-Lelo’s political council—Saba Buadze, Ana Natsvlishvili, and Dea Metreveli—resigned immediately after the announcement, saying they couldn’t support this decision.

In related news, on Monday the 7th, the Institute for Social Studies and Analysis published a survey on political party ratings and the possibility of joining the European Union. The organization surveyed 2,000 adults across Georgia between the 17th and 29th of June.

To the question: Who would you vote for if the elections were held now? Just over 35% said the Kotsebi. Tsvlilebebistvis follows with 18%, then the Natsebi with over 16%, Gogi Gakharia’s For Georgia or Sakartvelostvis with 10%, and Dzlieri-Lelo with 9.5%.

The survey also asked under whose leadership EU membership seems more likely. 46% believe it’s more likely if a pro-European opposition takes power. Only 14% think it could happen under the Kotsebi. Another 14% said it could happen under either, 10% chose neither, and 16% were unsure or didn’t answer.

On Monday, the 7th, Torkinke Rijvadze, former head of Adjara’s Autonomous Republic, who resigned from his post several months ago, was placed in a hospital with a gunshot to his chest. Doctors said his condition was critical, though stable.

Just several hours after the news spread, pro-government media spread news that it was a suicide attempt and that a note was found in his jacket. The legitimacy of the note has not been proven, but pro-government media treat it as genuine. In the suicide note, Rijvadze says that he is being accused of corruption and facilitating drug trade. He also asks Prime Minister Kobakhidze and Kotsebi party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili to protect his family. The note does not say whom he asks for protection from.

The opposition says that the note is fake and Rijvadze was a victim of in-party fighting.

Changing topics, on Saturday, the 5th, U.S. Ambassador Robin Dunnigan revealed in an exclusive Radio Liberty interview that the Kotsebi secretly sent a private letter to the Trump administration in January twenty twenty-five. She said the letter was threatening, insulting, and unserious, and that it shocked officials in Washington. However, she did not share the details.

Dunnigan said that right after Trump’s inauguration, she traveled to D.C. to meet the new administration. She returned with specific suggestions for improving U.S.–Georgia relations and shared them with Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili.

On the 27th of January, just three days after that meeting, the Kotsebi leadership sent the controversial letter directly to Trump officials.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a response and asked Dunnigan to deliver it in person to Bidzina Ivanishvili, but Ivanishvili refused to meet.

Next up, businessman Gogi Ramishvili, founder of Silk Road Group, Silknet, and Euronews Georgia, was arrested at Tbilisi International Airport on Sunday, the 6th. Security found his registered firearm, magazine, and bullets in his carry-on during a scanner check, but he had no legal right to carry the weapon.

Authorities charged him with illegal possession and carrying of firearms, with penalties ranging from three to seven years in prison. He was released two days later on bail.

Ramishvili is one of the richest people in Georgia and a major figure in telecom and media sectors. He has been a big donor to this and previous administration. He is also known to have a very shady past in the 90s, when he was part of a criminal brotherhood.

On Monday, the 7th, the prosecutors charged nine people with abusing a minor in a violent and humiliating attack. A group influenced by fascist ideology tricked the teenager into going to an abandoned building in Tbilisi, following a past argument. There, they insulted him and forced him to kneel at gunpoint. They made him apologize to the group’s so-called leader over a video call, filmed it, and posted the video online.

Police arrested all nine suspects, including the leader. Six of them are underage. They now face charges for cruel and degrading treatment of a minor, which could lead to up to ten years in prison.

In other crime news, on Sunday, the 6th, Vano Tarkhnishvili, a popular musician, actor, and TV host, was attacked near his home. He shared a photo on social media showing his swollen face after the attack. He says the attack was revenge from the Kotsebi for singing the anti-government song “Ole Ola”, which contains insulting lyrics towards the Kotsebi.

When describing the incident, he said one person approached him as a fan and then started insulting him and his family before hitting him. Another attacker joined in after that.

One of the attackers recorded the video of the attack, which a pro-government channel later shared.

Vano didn’t report the attack to the police, since many believe these attacks are organized by pro-government forces. Police summoned him for questioning after he posted about it.

On Tuesday, the 8th, the police began drug-testing activists and opposition members. Three members of Dzlieri-Lelo were taken for testing. Irakli Kupradze, secretary general of the party said that officers showed up at the homes of his colleagues, in different locations at the same time and took them without explanation, only saying they were under suspicion of drug use. Authorities say the checking was non-political and in total more than 300 people were checked for drug use on that day.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the 9th, the European Parliament passed a new resolution on Georgia. It rejects the legitimacy of the current government, calls for new parliamentary elections, sanctions against Ivanishvili, his family and companies, and the repeal of recent repressive laws.

Unlike earlier advice from the Parliament encouraging opposition to participate in municipal elections, this resolution states that the ruling party’s growing repression and the imprisonment of political leaders make free and fair local elections impossible.

On another note, a popular social media page re-shared a video of a grocery store owner spray-painting peaches to make them look riper. The clip quickly went viral on Facebook, racking up hundreds of thousands of views and sparking outrage in the comments. Thousands expressed anger and concern, with many worried about the health risks. The video spread so widely that it caught the attention of the National Food Agency, which announced it was launching an investigation and involving the police.

Wanna watch the video? Link in the show notes.

Finally, on Wednesday, the 9th, Rostevan Zarandia, an activist from Zugdidi, in western Georgia, was sentenced to five days in jail for calling Magdalina Todua, a City Hall employee, stupid in a Facebook comment. Even though insulting public officials became a punishable offense in February, what makes this case stand out is that at some point, Zarandia and Todua had been friends for ten years.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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Nakhvamdis!