The Prosecutor’s Office has officially recognized Zviad Koridze, a journalist and regional manager of Transparency International Georgia, as a victim following an alleged assault at the Sheraton Hotel in Batumi on January 14.
The incident occurred during Koridze’s visit to Batumi, where he was supporting the case of Mzia Amaglobeli, the detained founder and director of the publications Netgazeti and Batumelebi. Amaglobeli has been in custody since January 11, facing charges of assaulting a police officer, which could lead to a prison sentence of four to seven years.
Koridze reported that members of the ruling Georgian Dream party, including Dimitri Samkharadze and Giorgi Manvelidze, confronted him in the hotel lobby. The altercation turned physical, leaving Koridze with injuries, including trauma to his eye.
The confrontation allegedly escalated to include violence against former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, with Koridze asserting that Georgian Dream representatives attacked him as well. A doctor’s assessment later confirmed that Gakharia sustained a fractured nasal bone and a concussion.
Gakharia’s For Georgia party is still demanding footage from the hotel’s surveillance cameras.
