Police have arrested three people in the eastern Georgian town of Kvareli, including Kvareli Municipal Council (Sakrebulo) Chairman Givi Zautashvili, his brother Nika Zautashvili, and Deputy Mayor Levan Geladze, on charges of violence.
The Interior Ministry reported the arrests on November 11, saying they stem from a November 8 incident in Kvareli. According to the investigation, the dispute began over a “domestic matter,” during which the three men “first engaged in a verbal argument that later turned physical,” and “Nika Zautashvili injured Levan Geladze in the face with a blunt object.” The investigation is ongoing under Article 126 of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which pertains to violence.
The government-critical TV Pirveli channel first reported the case on November 10. The outlet said the incident occurred after the Iliaoba celebration on November 8, an annual event held in honor of 19th-century poet and national figure Ilia Chavchavadze. High-level Georgian Dream officials attended the event, including the disputed Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and Georgian Dream-elected President Mikheil Kavelashvili.
Givi Zautashvili was elected as the chairman of the Kvareli Municipal Council following the partially boycotted October 4 municipal elections. In the same vote, Ilia Mzekalashvili won the mayoral race, running uncontested as opposition parties participating in the election failed to field a candidate in Kvareli.
Also Read: