United National Movement Chair Tina Bokuchava has responded to the case of Tornike Rizhvadze, calling it a wake-up call for all members of the ruling Georgian Dream party. In a strongly worded social media post, Bokuchava claimed that the official version of Rizhvadze’s suicide attempt is “clearly fabricated” and described the incident as part of a broader pattern within what she called “Ivanishvili’s treacherous system.”
“Every Georgian Dream member—be it a minister, prosecutor, propagandist, or businessman—is just a cog in Ivanishvili’s machine, and the darkness surrounding this system will reach you too,” Bokuchava wrote.
She warned that some may face arrest, exile, or worse: “Some of you will be imprisoned, some forced to flee, and some might be driven to suicide or simply vanish. This is the nature of the regime you serve.”
Referring to Bidzina Ivanishvili’s alleged background in 1990s Russia, Bokuchava accused him of devaluing human life, especially those of his political allies: “For him, your body and soul are possessions. That’s the price of a deal with the devil.”
She concluded by urging Georgian Dream members to “speak out while there’s still time” and referenced Goethe’s Faust: “Your boss admires German literature—read Faust, boys. Read it and understand what you’re part of.”
This morning, the Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed that former Adjara government chairman Tornike Rizhvadze was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the chest. He is currently in critically stable condition with lung damage and has been transferred to the First University Clinic in Tbilisi.
In connection with the case, Maritime Transport Agency Head Aleksi Akhvlediani has been detained for the negligent storage of a firearm.
