Six athletes charged with beating high profile opposition figures

Nika Melia (center) and Tengiz Gunava, MP, in Kirtskheli after the incident. (20300

TBILISI, DFWatch–The Ministry of Internal Affairs on Wednesday indicted six athletes for a violent incident about a week ago in Samegrelo, when several high profile opposition figures, including members of parliament, were severely beaten during the local municipal by-elections.

In a short statement, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) said that six persons are charged with hooliganism. All of them acting or former athletes in martial arts. Five face fines or other lesser punishment, while Vladimer Gegeshidze, a member of the Georgian Greco-Roman wrestling team, faces up to seven years in jail.

No-one has been arrested so far.

At the polling station in Kortskheli, a village near Zugdidi, a group of ruling Georgian Dream supporters assaulted members of the United National Movement .

Former Tbilisi mayoral candidate Nika Melia and the party’s Foreign Relations Secretary, Giga Bokeria where brutally beaten, along with several other UNM parliamentarians, activists and supporters. A local TV channel, Odishi TV, published a video of the assault.