Davit Peikrishvili, a detained figure associated with Georgia’s criminal underworld in media reports, was hospitalized with “multiple injuries” as his lawyer alleges an attack at Gldani Prison on October 19 by recently detained figures similarly associated with the criminal underworld and with a reported history of conflict with the injured.
Separately, Peikrishvili’s mother said the alleged attackers had demanded the passcode to her son’s phone. The Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia has denied that Peikrishvili was assaulted by fellow inmates, claiming he injured himself and calling the allegations an attempt to “discredit” the agency.
Davit and his twin brother, Giorgi Peikrishvili, were detained in Georgia in September, on charges of “legalizing illicit revenues in large amounts.” They face up to 12 years in prison if convicted.
The lawyer has identified Avtandil Bilanishvili, known as “Katsro,” and Vakhtang (Vato) Kipiani, among the alleged assailants. The two were arrested on October 15 alongside Shota Kipiani on charges of group violence. Both have long been associated with Georgia’s criminal underworld in media reports. Bilanishvili has also repeatedly been linked in reports to Bera, the son of Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, with the two reportedly having a close friendship.
The alleged confrontation comes amid the reported history of hostility between Kipiani and the Peikrishvili brothers. In 2020, Georgian prosecutors reportedly accused Kipiani of attempting to organize the murder of the brothers in Ukraine.
Davit Peikrishvili was brought to the Vivamedi clinic at around 21:00 on October 19 with multiple injuries, the clinic’s clinical director, Zurab Chkhaidze, told Interpressnews. He was subsequently transferred to Penitentiary Facility No. 18, a prison medical facility, for observation, “with the relevant recommendations.”
“I confirm that his health is in dire condition. He has visible signs of physical injuries sustained after October 16,” Paata Gogiashvili, the lawyer representing Peikrishvili, told Formula TV on October 20 after visiting his client at Penitentiary Facility No. 8 in Gldani.
“The physical injuries were inflicted by Vato Kipiani, Bilanishvili, Shota Kipiani, Katcharava and Gotsiridze,” who had allegedly been placed in Peikrishvili’s cell on October 16, the lawyer noted.
The lawyer said Peikrishvili had four broken ribs, a fractured skull and facial bones, as well as bruising. “Since October 16, he has been subjected to physical and psychological pressure,” he said, adding that Peikrishvili is today “in such an extreme state that he has inflicted physical injuries on himself.”
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Gogiashvili also said Davit’s twin brother had injured himself by cutting his wrists on October 19. The lawyer held the penitentiary facility and its Director General, Nika Pataridze, responsible for both brothers’ health and urged the Prosecutor General’s Office to respond to the allegations.
Separately, Peikrishvili’s mother, Nino Abramishvili, told TV Pirveli that the alleged attackers had demanded the passcode to her son’s phone. “I don’t know what information might be on this phone; whoever is looking for it maybe knows. It must be such compromising material that it would probably shake this country,” she said.
Later on October 20, the Special Penitentiary Service denied that Peikrishvili had been assaulted by his cellmates. According to the agency, Peikrishvili was brought to a room designated for meetings with lawyers that day but suddenly left, “broke a window pane in the corridor adjacent to the lawyers’ meeting room, and threatened to harm himself with a shard of glass.”
“He also called on inmates to disorganize,” the statement said. “The inmates did not follow his provocative call and even verbally insulted him for this behavior. Davit Peikrishvili demanded a meeting with his brother, but since the Peikrishvili brothers are accused in the same criminal case, under the current legislation their contact within the facility is not permitted.”
The Special Penitentiary Service described the “uproar around the Peikrishvili brothers” as a continuation of attempts to discredit the agency and a deliberate campaign, and calls on everyone to refrain from spreading such false information.”
The Public Defender’s Office separately said its hotline received a report of the alleged ill-treatment of Peikrishvili on October 19 at 16:31, along with a request to visit him.
A representative of the Public Defender visited the facility that day, “where the defendant, Davit Peikrishvili, declined the meeting. This is confirmed by the relevant report, which bears the defendant’s signature,” the statement added.
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