Two Wounded During Ex-Defense Minister’s Campaign Rally

GORI, Georgia- Two men, were wounded on Sunday in a shooting incident during the outdoor campaign rally of Gori parliamentary candidate and Georgia’s ex-Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili.

Okruashvili was not injured but is believed to have been the primary target when shots were fired. The two injured men were taken to a local hospital with minor wounds. The police did not release the names of the individuals but said one is a supporter of Okruashvili and the other is his security guard.

The Internal Affairs Ministry has launched an investigation into the incident.

Okruashvili, who is from a village not far from Gori in central Georgia, named the suspected shooters as Eduard Nutsubidze and Alexander Induashvili, both of whom have connections to the brother-in-law of former Energy Minister Kakha Kaladze.

Induashvili and Nutsubidze were identified by Okruashvili as activists for the ruling party Georgian Dream (GD) party and claimed the two alleged suspects would try and flee the country via Georgia’s breakaway region South Ossetia.

Nutsubidze claims he was returning fire and being shot at while trying enter into a taxi. He has been taken in for questioning by the local police but denies the charges.

The Georgian Dream issued a statement regarding the incident, saying they deny any connection to the alleged suspects. The GD claims that Okruashvili is deliberately accusing the ruling party of having ordered the shooting in an attempt to discredit the coalition ahead of Saturday’s parliamentary elections.

“This incident had no political motive. As far as we know, there was a verbal confrontation that was followed by a random shooting incident. Okruashvili now wants to blame the whole episode on the Georgian Dream and claim that we have certain political motives,” the GD’s Executive Secretary, Irakli Kobakhidze said Monday.

Georgia’s main opposition party, the United National Movement (UNM), says the government was responsible for the incident and called on the police to investigate the case outside of government interference.

Okruashvili served as Defense Minister in 2004-2006. He is one of three candidates running for a seat in Gori’s single-mandate constituency.

By Thea Morrison

Edited by Nicholas Waller