**Attack on Corruption Watchdog’s Regional Office Manager Condemned as “Lenient”**
A recent court ruling in Batumi, Georgia has been met with outrage by Transparency International (TI)-Georgia. The organization has condemned the punishment handed down to a man who attacked its regional office manager, Zviad Koridze, as “inappropriately lenient.” In January, Koridze was verbally and physically assaulted at the Sheraton Hotel in Batumi, leaving him with an eye injury.
The attacker, Gocha Samkharadze, was found guilty of violence by Judge Viktor Metreveli and fined a relatively small sum of GEL 3,000 (about USD 1,100). However, what has raised eyebrows is that the others allegedly involved in the attack – Georgian Dream MP Dimitri Samkharadze and former Adjara Supreme Council GD faction chair Giorgi Manvelidze – were not charged at all.
“This verdict is yet another example of how the regime protects its own violent supporters,” TI-Georgia said. The organization claims that the prosecutor “severely downplayed” and “distorted” the violence against Koridze by omitting key details from the case, including that he was sworn at and had a flower pot full of soil thrown at him.
**Unequal Treatment of Attackers**
The case has sparked concerns about unequal treatment in the justice system. While protesters have received harsh sentences for minor offenses, such as alleged verbal insults toward officials or participating in demonstrations, those who attack critics of the Georgian Dream government are often let off with lenient punishments.
In a separate incident, two men were fined and given verbal warnings respectively for attacking protesters in Tbilisi. In contrast, a man caught on camera holding a sharp object that looked like a machete was only fined GEL 500 (about USD 184).
**Symbolic Case Highlights Authoritarianism**
TI-Georgia sees this case as symbolic of the authoritarian regime’s behavior towards those who oppose inequality and injustice. The organization points out that journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli, director and founder of the Batumelebi and Netgazeti outlets, faces a minimum 4-year prison sentence for slapping a police officer, while Koridze was left with an eye injury after being attacked by multiple people.
“This case is closely connected to the trial of Mzia Amaghlobeli,” TI-Georgia said. “While journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli faces a minimum 4-year prison sentence for slapping a police officer, only one participant in the group assault on Koridze has been punished, and with an inappropriately lenient sentence.”
**Concerns Over Lenient Sentences**
This case highlights broader concerns about the justice system’s treatment of protesters and critics of the government. Several activists have received multi-year jail sentences for protest-related offenses, while courts have imposed administrative detention for alleged verbal insults toward officials.
TI-Georgia’s statement concludes that “this authoritarian regime not only intensifies pressure on those who oppose inequality and injustice but also shields those who uphold the regime through acts of violence.”
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