Georgian Prosecutor’s Office launches investigation after bishop alleges plot to kill him

The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has launched an investigation into alleged plans to kill Bishop Giorgi Jamdeliani of Marneuli and Hujabi. The decision was prompted by the bishop’s public statements during a Sunday sermon, where he claimed that a member of the current government was involved in planning his assassination.

The investigation has been initiated under Article 18-108 of the Georgian Criminal Code, which pertains to the preparation of premeditated murder.

“The Prosecutor’s Office has started the investigation. All necessary investigative and procedural actions will be carried out,” the office announced.

Bishop Giorgi stated that “a government member” had been planning to poison him. He claimed that a nun who served in his diocese had been coerced by security services for over a year to administer poison in his food or directly onto his skin.

“It is very sad that people I shared meals with, whom I considered brothers and friends, were preparing to kill me,” said the bishop. “They recruited a nun from my diocese and tried to force her to put poison in my food or on my hand. These are the kinds of events and situations we face in the diocese.”

He alleged that the individual behind the plot had fled with security guards. Bishop Giorgi emphasized that he had not physically harmed the alleged conspirator because of his duty as a clergyman. He warned that he expects provocations and believes that the plot was supported by powerful forces.

“Today, this person has been summoned and charged. I have pronounced him a traitor, like Judas, who was preparing to kill me,” the bishop declared, further adding, “He is a current government member. If the government does not distance itself from him, much will become clearer to me.”

Bishop Giorgi has been known for his homophobic and anti-Western statements, his criticism of the United National Movement party, and his negative views on civil society organizations.

In February 2024, Georgian media reported that the bishop had broken his vow of celibacy and married. In December 2024, he described the brutal violence against demonstrators in Tbilisi’s Rustaveli Avenue as a “common pain and tragedy of the nation.” In 2020, he accused the ruling Georgian Dream party of conducting a smear campaign against him to remove him from his diocese. Most recently, on May 28, 2025, he supported imprisoned media manager and journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, saying that the punishment she is serving is excessively harsh.