Doctor Giorgi Akhobadze, known for his outspoken criticism of the government and active participation in recent civic movements, says he was physically attacked near Tbilisi International Airport by men who identified themselves as police officers.
In a video statement shared on social media, Akhobadze described the incident as a targeted assault:
“A late-model black Prado followed me from the airport. Some guys jumped out, saying, ‘we’re from the police, there’s an event going on,’ and opened the door and physically assaulted me. They are either guys sent by Lasha Baslandze’s friends or they themselves. They are terrorists. They stopped a taxi in the middle of the road, in the middle of the city, they introduced themselves as police officers and started physically assaulting us. Of course, no one will investigate this.”
Akhobadze, who has recently been vocal about human rights abuses and the growing climate of intimidation in Georgia, said the attack fits a pattern of politically motivated violence targeting professionals, artists, and civic activists critical of the authorities.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly warned that such incidents reflect a worrying trend of impunity and shrinking democratic space in the country, where both journalists and opposition-leaning citizens report harassment and physical attacks that often go unpunished.
