Ruling party official offers bail guarantee for suspect in attack on comedian

A senior member of Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party has offered to stand as a guarantor for a man accused of attacking comedian Onise Okriashvili, praising him as "a patriot and a true Georgian."

Dimitri Samkharadze, the party's regional secretary, on Friday said he had read a letter written by 39-year-old Niko Khurtsilava and published by his lawyer. In a social media post, Samkharadze argued that people have limits beyond which they react, while insisting that neither he nor members of Georgian Dream had ever initiated violence.

"I would like to use my parliamentary mandate and, if Niko Khurtsilava wishes, stand as his guarantor so that he can be released on bail," Samkharadze wrote.

Khurtsilava is awaiting formal charges over the assault on Okriashvili. His lawyer, Shota Mirvelashvili, said the defence hopes the court will release his client on bail.

According to the lawyer, Khurtsilava voluntarily reported to police shortly after the incident, a move that could be considered a mitigating factor during bail proceedings and sentencing.

Asked about the motive, Mirvelashvili said his client recognised the comedian and confronted him over remarks he believed Okriashvili had made about celebrated Georgian writer Nodar Dumbadze.

"My client recognised him and asked, 'Aren't you Onise, the one who insulted Dumbadze?' That was the motive," the lawyer said.

Mirvelashvili acknowledged that he had not reviewed the video or independently verified the alleged remarks. He also said he did not know which specific comments his client had seen on social media or whether Khurtsilava had read Dumbadze's works.

The lawyer said Khurtsilava admitted striking Okriashvili and maintained that he acted alone. He added that his client had told investigators he was the only person involved in the physical assault.