Tbilisi Pride Releases Statement, Demands Justice for Transgender Victims Amid Attack
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, May 30, 2022
Tbilisi Pride calls on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to immediately and effectively investigate and ensure the safety of transgender women victims of the attack.
“On May 29, 2022, in the Chugureti district, 5 transgender women were attacked by a group of about 30 men with bricks and stones in their home.
The attackers physically assaulted transgender women as well as the homeowner and damaged their home. At the time of the attack, transgender women were threatened with death. There is a suspicion that the group attack was pre-organized.
This is not a single case of transphobic and gender-based assault. Dealing with crime is part of the daily lives of transgender people.
All of this echoes the impunity of the perpetrators and the government-sponsored violence against members of the LGBTQ + community. The state still does not have a policy aimed at eradicating homophobia and transphobia, which makes it impossible to protect the rights of LGBTQ + people and enforce anti-discrimination legislation.
“In such crisis situations, it is even more apparent that it is critically important for the state to provide shelter for LGBTQ + people who are victims of hate crimes and domestic violence. A space necessary for the protection of physical integrity, health and life,” the statement reads.
The violence took place on the morning of May 29th when a man came to victims’ house and demanded sex services. Being denied the service irritated the man which resulted in verbally abusing the women, threatening to kill them and calling tens of people to organize the group violence towards them.
Transgender women are demanding police to be mobilized near their homes for at least the next few days.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has launched an investigation into the incident under Article 151, Part 2, Subparagraph A of the Criminal Code of Georgia.
