Former Adjara leader in critical condition after gunshot wound

TBILISI, DFWatch–The former head of Georgia’s Adjara regional government, Tornike Rizhvadze, remains in critical condition after suffering a gunshot wound to the chest in what may have been a suicide attempt.

Rizhvadze was first hospitalized in Sagarejo before being transferred to a clinic in Tbilisi early Saturday morning.

Doctors report that Rizhvadze is on mechanical ventilation but showing signs of improvement. Levan Ratiani, director of Tbilisi’s First University Clinic, told Rezonansi that the former leader of Adjara arrived in hemorrhagic shock, but that his condition is now more stable.

While the cause of the injuries has not been confirmed, the case is subject to widespread speculation by politicians. Authorities have arrested a man, Aleksi Akhvlediani, for negligent storage of a firearm. Meanwhile, Imedi TV published the contents of a handwritten note reportedly found in Rizhvadze’s clothing, in which he denies allegations of corruption and expresses despair over being accused of protecting criminal networks. In the note, Rizhvadze pleads for forgiveness from family members and appeals to Georgia’s billionaire political figure Bidzina Ivanishvili and current leadership to protect his loved ones.

Rizhvadze served as a key figure within the ruling Georgian Dream party, and his gunshot incident comes while the country is experiencing further political tensions after an already turbulent last year. A day prior, prominent businessman Giorgi Ramishvili was detained, raising further questions about internal power struggles.

Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili urged the public to await the results of an official investigation, but opposition politicians linked Rizhvadze’s shooting incident to what they describe as “Russian-style” rule, where political loyalty is no guarantee against being targetted.