Activist Attacked by GD MPs in Abu Dhabi Says His Georgian Citizenship Was Revoked

Lasha Gabitashvili, an outspoken participant in ongoing anti-regime protests, says that the Public Service Hall revoked his Georgian citizenship. Gabitashvili came into the spotlight in January after being involved in a brawl with Georgian Dream MPs in Abu Dhabi. He said the authorities declined his application to retain his Georgian citizenship after he acquired Israeli citizenship through marriage.

“I want to share with you yet another malicious decision made by the Georgian Dream. They stripped me of my Georgian citizenship. Despite being born and raised in Georgia and having lived and worked here all my life, the Public Service Hall decided not to continue my citizenship,” Gabitashvili said in a video posted on Facebook.

He said that after he received the Israeli citizenship through his wife he addressed the Public Service Hall for the double citizenship. He also said both of his children were born in Georgia and have Georgian citizenship.

He added that he plans to appeal the decision and has been in active communication with the Israeli Ambassador to Georgia regarding the matter.

Attack in Abu Dhabi

On January 13, Gabitashvili got into a physical altercation with three Georgian Dream MPs, Viktor Sanikidze, Irakli Zarkua, and Gela Samkharauli, at the hotel in Abu Dhabi. MPs were reportedly on a private trip to attend a concert with their family members and other GD representatives.

The brawl occurred in the hotel’s restaurant following a verbal exchange the previous day during which Gabitashvili called the MPs “slaves” and verbally assaulted them.

The day before, on January 12, Gabitashvili confronted Irakli Zarkua both inside and outside the same hotel, asking him whether he was aware of activists’ detentions in Batumi, western Georgia. The incident continued outside the hotel, where Gabitashvili called Zarkua a “Russian slave” and a “traitor.” The two men swore at each other. 

Attack in Tbilisi

In February, Gabitashvili was again assaulted after returning to Tbilisi. He said that three masked men attacked him while he was walking his dog near his home.

Since the outset of the pro-EU protests, numerous outspoken critics of the ruling GD party – as well as civil society activists – have reportedly faced physical assaults, verbal harassment, and threats, often by unidentified masked individuals. The wave of intimidation has fueled concerns over an increasingly hostile environment for dissent in Georgia.

Also Read:

• Liveblog: Resistance | “We See You”: Protesters March Through Tbilisi Demanding Justice and Government Resignation
• 01/06/2024  – Citizens Confront GD MPs Following Adoption of Foreign Agents’ Law

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