Rallies in Tbilisi and Batumi After the Death of a UNM Member
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Friday, November 26
The United National Movement claims that the ruling Georgian Dream party is responsible for the death of the Batumi City Council member, Nugzar Putkaradze.
The member of the opposition political party, Giorgi Kitradze, recently accused the father of Davit Rizhvadze of pressuring Putkaradze, which has led to his death. Rizhvadze is the head of the Adjara government.
The member of the United National Movement held a press conference recently, where he talked about the negotiations led by Rizhvadze through two former law enforcers. Kirtadze said that they were forcing Putkaradze to leave the United National Movement.
He also added that the pressure on Putkaradze started much earlier, and it is the reason for his passing. The sister of Putkaradze also talked about the situation of his brother over the past few weeks, saying that he was feeling worried about his children. On the other hand, the representatives of the ruling party are denying the accusations.
The head of the Adjara government, Rizhvadze, even said that he is waiting for apologies. UNM also released recordings that allegedly showed the pressure that was put on Putkaradze, but GD member Tite Aorshidze denied any connections of the ruling party with the recordings.
Rallies were held in Tbilisi and Batumi to protest the death of Putkaradze. The protestants demanded the resignation of Rizhvadze. The sister of Nugzar Putkaradze also attended the rally in Batumi, saying that it is not acceptable for such people to rule the country, “who have killed numerous people who loved their country so much, the system kills” noted Puktaradze.
The people gathered at the rally also demand to start investigating the case of possible pressure on Putkaradze and to punish all the perpetrators.
Nugzar Putkaradze died a few days ago. According to Giorgi Kirtadze, the chairman of the Batumi branch of the United National Movement, the cause of death was an increase in blood sugar levels.
According to Kirtadze, Nugzar Putkaradze from the UNM was one of the first to be pressured and bribed to leave UNM. According to Kirtadze, negotiations with Putkaradze were initiated by “high-ranking law enforcers,” who served during the rule of Aslan Abashidze and were tasked by the father of Adjara’s government head.
The investigation into the death of Nugzar Putkaradze was launched on November 18. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the investigation is underway under Article 116, Part 1 of the Criminal Code. According to the agency, the family members of the deceased were questioned already.
