Ex-Commander of Interior Troops Beaten in Tbilisi

Gia Shervashidze, one of the leaders of the Christian-Democratic Alliance, was attacked by four masked men and beaten on June 19, the Alliance said.

Giorgi Shervashidze, a former commander of Shevardnadze-era Interior troops, was hospitalized with severe injuries.

The Christian-Democratic Alliance has accused the authorities of being behind the attack. It has alleged that the incident was linked to the party’s attempts “to reinforce public diplomacy” with the Abkhaz side. The party said that Shervashidze had planned to visit Abkhazia on July 10.

The Christian-Democratic Alliance ran in the May 21 parliamentary elections and won less than one per cent of the vote. The group, among others, unites former presidential candidate Giorgi Maisashvili and his party, as well as Temur Shashiashvili, who was a governor of Imereti region during Eduard Shevardnadze’s presidency.

At least a dozen opposition activists have been attacked and beaten since the May 21 parliamentary elections.