Giorgi Bachiashvili, currently held at Georgia’s N8 penitentiary facility, has released a detailed statement alleging that he was physically assaulted on July 11 in what he describes as an orchestrated attempt to forcibly obtain access to his property and financial information.
According to the statement, provided in full to bm.ge, Bachiashvili claims that several days prior to the incident, he met with the head of the facility, Davit Gogoberishvili, who "amicably" urged him to disclose information about his bank accounts, cryptocurrency activity, and digital assets to Georgian businessman and former prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili.
“I was summoned by Davit Gogoberishvili on July 8, who advised me to open all my accounts for Mr. Ivanishvili. When I refused, citing the unlawful targeting of my and my family’s property, he responded that I was in no position to set conditions,” Bachiashvili wrote, noting that at the time, the conversation appeared non-threatening.
Bachiashvili describes a violent attack that took place on the evening of July 11, when an unidentified man was allegedly allowed into his solitary cell under the pretense of accommodation.
“He was tall, athletic, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans. He didn’t introduce himself and aggressively stated that only he would be asking questions,” Bachiashvili recounts. The man allegedly began shouting, initiated a physical fight, and assaulted him with a glass tea cup, causing head trauma, lacerations, a bitten shoulder, and a dislodged tooth.
According to the statement, a prison officer briefly opened the cell window during the assault, only to close it again at the attacker’s request, allowing the beating to continue. Bachiashvili also alleges that blood was left on the cell walls and floor following the incident.
He was later seen by the prison doctor and eventually transferred to Viva Med clinic, where he received treatment, including stitches, CT scans, and medical observation. However, he claims he was denied the right to call his lawyer or the Public Defender’s Office, and was forcibly returned to prison around 3:00 AM, despite reporting symptoms consistent with a concussion.
Bachiashvili states that two investigators visited him shortly after his return, asking for a statement and for him to surrender his bloodied clothes. He refused to comply without legal representation. His request to contact his lawyer or the public defender was again denied.
On July 12, he declared a hunger strike to protest the alleged abuse and demand access to legal and medical services. Only after the strike did he manage to make contact with the Public Defender’s Office.
“There are security cameras in the cell and hallway, everything was recorded,” he asserts. “This was a coordinated act between the prison administration and criminal elements, designed to pressure me into giving up my assets. I will not be intimidated.”
Bachiashvili is requesting solitary confinement under full video surveillance, citing ongoing concerns for his safety.
