Adjara’s Ex-Government Head Rizhvadze in Hospital with Gunshot Wound, MIA Says
Tornike Rizhvadze, former head of the Adjara Autonomous Republic government, was hospitalized on July 7 with a gunshot wound in the chest, the Georgian Interior Ministry reported.
Rizhvadze was admitted to a hospital in Sagarejo, the eastern Georgian region of Kakheti, where he received emergency care. The Ministry cited doctors as saying that he sustained a lung injury and that his condition is stable but serious.
The Ministry said that an investigation is underway under Article 115 of the Criminal Code, concerning “incitement to suicide.” One person has been detained under Article 238 of the Criminal Code, involving “negligent storage of firearms,” MIA reported.
Pro-government TV channel Imedi described the incident as a “suicide attempt,” citing another outlet, Prime Time, which reported that medical personnel discovered a note in Rizhvadze’s clothing. In the note, reported by Imedi, the former official allegedly writes about being accused of “corruption and protecting drug dealers,” and appeals to GD founder Bidzina Ivanishvili and PM Irakli Kobakhidze to protect his family.
Rizhvadze also allegedly states in the note, “My friends, employees, and family members are innocent,” claiming they acted on his orders. The ex-official also allegedly mentions “Aleko,” reportedly referring to Aleko Akhvlediani, the director of Georgia’s Maritime Transport Agency, with whose gun, according to the Imedi report, Rizhvadze attempted to take his own life. The note allegedly adds that Akhvlediani is innocent and that Rizhvadze took his gun secretly.
Rizhvadze had led the government of the seaside Adjara region since 2018, until announcing his resignation on April 4. His departure was part of a broader, ongoing wave of resignations among high-ranking Georgian Dream officials.
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