Contrary to calls to bring leaders of the July 5 organized mass violence to justice, administrative charges were brought against Giorgi Tabagari, a Tbilisi Pride leader and campaigner for civil rights of Georgia’s embattled LGBT community.
On July 5, when Georgian Dream and Russia-linked extremists physically assaulted 53 journalists one of whom died days later, offices of Tbilisi Pride were raided and vandalized. Tabagari and other activists also recalled that the extremists were tracking their location which they kept changing, alleging that the Police kept them informed on the activists changing locations.
As violence was still ongoing, Tabagari received a call from Police officer requesting admission to the Tbilisi Pride office with the purpose of inspecting it. At this point as showing up in the office would endanger lives of activists, Tabagari engaged in a verbal altercation with the Police officer over the phone for which he is now charged.
Meanwhile, Nino Lomjaria, Georgia’s Public Defender of Georgia appealed to the Prosecutor General to launch criminal proceedings against Zurab Makharadze, leader of a Russia-linked extremist group Alt Info and an Orthodox Church priest Spiridon Tskipurishvili who made public calls for violence on July 5.
The July 5 violence was preceded by Georgian Dream leaders’ statement attacking Tbilisi Pride March for Dignity and essentially withdrawing security protection. Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili called the LGBT rally inappropriate, saying that "the minority will no longer decide the fate of the majority," thus inciting further violence. The mass violence occurred for many hours without any police resistance.
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