International human rights lawyer Robert Amsterdam has condemned the July 11 attack on Giorgi Bachiashvili, the former head of Georgia’s Co-Investment Fund, as torture carried out under state supervision. Amsterdam, who represents Bachiashvili, says the incident will be reported to international human rights organizations and that the Georgian authorities are complicit in the abuse.
“Georgian political prisoner Giorgi Bachiashvili was severely beaten in prison. Despite being held in solitary confinement under video surveillance, the prison administration allowed an unknown man to enter his cell and attack him,” Amsterdam said in a statement.
According to the lawyer, the assailant inflicted severe physical harm, including: a head wound requiring stitches; facial trauma; lacerations and neurological symptoms.
A bite wound so deep it caused Bachiashvili to bleed and lose consciousness.
Amsterdam claims that a prison guard briefly opened the cell door during the beating but shut it again at the attacker's command, indicating institutional involvement.
Following the incident, Bachiashvili was taken to Vivamed Clinic but was allegedly denied contact with his lawyers and family. According to Amsterdam, he was threatened with being cut off from medical care if he tried to reach out to his legal team. It wasn’t until Bachiashvili declared a hunger strike and managed to contact the Public Defender’s hotline that outside contact was re-established.
“This is torture, plain and simple, conducted in a facility under full state control. The Georgian government must be held accountable for this gross human rights violation,” Amsterdam stated.
Bachiashvili, who has been convicted in absentia in a high-profile cryptocurrency case and is connected to the Mtkvari HPP corruption case, claims he is being persecuted for political reasons and subjected to state-sponsored pressure and violence in prison. His beating on July 11 and subsequent transfer to, and quick removal from, a medical facility have fueled growing concerns among rights groups and political observers.
The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) has also stated that the incident may amount to torture or inhuman treatment, calling on the Public Defender’s Office and the Prosecutor General to launch an independent investigation.
