GEORGIA: Viral Video of Policemen assaulting a citizen & more – 28th May 2026

Gamarjobat from Sant Gervasi! This is the Rorshok Georgia Update from the 28th of May twenty twenty-six. A quick summary of what's going down in Georgia.

On Sunday, the 24th, Ilia State University students successfully raised over 1,500,000 lari (over 500 000 dollars) to buy medical equipment for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Students organized a continuous live-stream marathon, mobilizing private companies, clinics, and citizens to provide immediate financial relief, ventilators, and specialized wheelchairs directly to families.

The fundraiser directly responds to a month-long standoff outside the government building in Tbilisi. For over thirty days, parents of around one hundred children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy spent their nights protesting in the streets, demanding that the state fund life-prolonging medications. The government refuses to purchase the drugs, labeling the internationally approved treatments as experimental.

Next Up. On Tuesday, the 26th, Georgia celebrated Independence Day, marking the holiday alongside the 1,700th anniversary of the state's adoption of Christianity. In their speeches, ruling party leaders focused heavily on the importance of Christianity and sovereignty, while completely ignoring the historical context of Russian occupation.

On the same day, pro-government television station IMEDI sparked backlash with a Facebook card that placed ruling party founder and billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili right alongside anti-Soviet independence leaders Zviad Gamsakhurdia and Merab Kostava, drawing immediate condemnation as a cheap propaganda stunt.

Later that evening, an opposition coalition held a march from Tbilisi State University to the parliament building. The Tbilisi City Hall refused the organizers' requests to build a stage, and police confiscated their audio gear. Despite the municipal ban, thousands of participants still filled the streets to protest.

Changing topics. On Wednesday, the 27th, a viral video showing a group of policemen brutally beating two men during an arrest in Gori (eastern Georgia) sparked intense public outrage. One of the victims, Lasha Abisonashvili, revealed the conflict began when a police car closely tailed his friend—a Bank of Georgia employee on a work break—almost hitting him. After the victim asked the officers what they were doing, a verbal dispute quickly escalated into a severe physical assault. Abisonashvili, who stepped in to help, sustained head and leg injuries before being released, while his friend remained detained. Following widespread condemnation from the Public Defender, the Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into the abuse of official authority. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze also condemned the violence.

Link to the video in show notes.

On Friday, the 22nd, the State Security Service's Anti-Corruption Agency arrested Levan Akhobadze, their former deputy head, for taking an exceptionally large bribe. Authorities say that Akhobadze extorted a businessman whose undeclared cash of over 1 million lari (around 400,000 dollars) had been seized at the Russian-Georgian border.

Akhobadze promised to return the money for a 500,000 lari (around 200,000 dollars) bribe, though the figure was halved after the agency's then-chief, Grigol Liluashvili, intervened. Liluashvili is also in prison on separate corruption charges.

Ironically, Akhobadze's lawyer is Rajden Kuprashvili, former head of the recently dissolved Anti-Corruption Bureau.

Speaking of the State Security Service. Just a day later after Akhobadze’s arrest, an employee of the State Security Service's Anti-Corruption Agency was found dead inside his car in Khashuri, a town in central Georgia. The Prosecutor's Office confirmed he died from a gunshot wound inflicted by his own weapon, though the victim's identity has not been released.

This marks the second time this year an operative from this exact agency has died under identical circumstances. Back in January, senior inspector Simon Tsakadze was also found shot dead inside his vehicle, which was parked right outside the agency's Tbilisi headquarters.

In other news. On Friday, the 22nd, Russian state media outlet Sputnik announced the creation of a Russophobia Monitoring Council in Georgia. Orchestrated by the pro-Russian Eurasian Institute, the council plans to track and analyze public statements, media reports, and actions it deems anti-Russian, ranging from political criticism to historical debates. A dedicated legal team will even prepare formal appeals against targeted individuals and entities.

While organizers claim this initiative protects diversity, critics point out that the Kremlin routinely weaponizes the term Russophobia to suppress legitimate political critisism and condemnation of the war in Ukraine.

On Tuesday, the 26th, the British government slapped sanctions on three crypto companies registered in Georgia as part of a crackdown on shadow financial networks. The targeted entities—Aifory, Arvix, and Rapira Group—are accused of running Russia-focused cryptocurrency exchanges designed to bypass Western trade restrictions.

UK officials say these firms provided critical financial infrastructure and payment laundering services to help fund Moscow's war economy.

On Thursday, the 21st, Georgia’s Communications Commission fined the opposition channel Formula two thousand and five hundred lari (around one thousand dollars) over political terminology used by its journalists. The regulator ruled that terms like "Ocneba’s Ministry of Internal Affairs," "Ivanishvili's regime," and "pro-government channel Rustavi 2" injected personal bias into objective news broadcasts.

The Commission also flagged a news segment concerning children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, claiming it failed to present the Ministry of Health's alternative position alongside the protesting parents.

On Monday, the 25th, Georgia's Deputy Health Minister Irina Tsakadze announced that nearly half of the 32,000 socially vulnerable families re-examined since February have had their state subsistence allowance terminated.

The government claims these families have successfully overcome poverty and no longer meet the selection criteria, pointing to a recent decree that cuts off benefits if a family member's monthly income averages 1,250 Lari (around 500 dollars) or more over three months. This re-examination follows statements from Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who pushed to trim the welfare list by arguing that some recipients are actually well-off.

On Monday, the 25th, the British newspaper The Guardian reported on the planned seventy-story Trump Tower in Tbilisi, pointing out a major conflict of interest. It turns out the skyscraper is being built on land that is still part-owned by Uta Ivanishvili—the eldest son of Bidzina Ivanishvili. Even though the Trump Organization is technically partnering with local Georgian developers who aren't sanctioned, the land itself still belongs to the Ivanishvili family's Cartu Group. Sandro Kevkhishvili from Transparency International Georgia says there are grounds for concern that this is a political project rather than a private business deal, meant to ingratiate the ruling party with the White House.

The link to the full article is in the Show Notes.

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On Monday, the 18th, the American newspaper The New York Times published an article by Amanda Taub titled "Actually, Democracy Dies in H.R." For anyone watching the growing authoritarianism in Georgia, it is a highly relevant look at how democratic backsliding actually works on the ground.

The core finding is that regimes don't just rely on ideological extremists; they maintain control by exploiting the career anxieties of ordinary, mediocre bureaucrats. By offering fast-track promotions to low performers who wouldn't succeed in a normal meritocracy, regimes in places like historical Argentina, Soviet Russia, and modern Hungary successfully recruit loyal losers to carry out their agendas.

The link to the full article is in the Show Notes.

On Wednesday, the 27th, OC Media published an analytical piece by Helena Bedwell examining whether a peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan will weaken Georgia’s role as a regional transit hub.

For decades, Georgia served as the only viable route for regional trade, but as trade routes begin to shift Georgia's passive advantage is quickly eroding. Experts warn that if competing corridors become fully operational, Georgia could lose up to 17% of its annual transit volume. The article says that to stay competitive Georgia can no longer rely on neighborly instability and must urgently step up, finish major infrastructure like the Anaklia port, and aggressively pursue EU integration.

Link to the full article in the Show Notes.

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

Anything to ask or tell us, info@rorshok.com.

Nakhvamdis!