Zurab Girchi Japaridze, leader of the Girchi-More Freedom party and the opposition Coalition for Change, has been hospitalized after a July 15 road accident, with the politician saying he was hit by a car while riding a motor scooter and suffered a concussion, bruises, and minor memory issues as a result.
“A car hit me while I was on a scooter, I’m okay. I don’t have any fractures, only bruises. I have a concussion, and I don’t remember some things. I’m at the clinic undergoing examinations,” he wrote on Facebook, adding that he could not remember the circumstances of the collision.
In a follow-up video recorded from his hospital room, Japaridze said he had been riding the scooter at a slow speed when a car cut him off. He said he slid along the road for a while after the collision. Japaridze appears in the video with scratches on his face and his arm bandaged.
Later, TV Pirveli reported that the Interior Ministry has opened an investigation into the case under Article 276 of the Criminal Code, which covers violation of traffic safety rules or rules for operating transport. It added that, according to the ministry, the driver involved in the accident had been identified.
Japaridze is one of eight opposition politicians facing intensified court proceedings in the so-called “sabotage” case launched in November 2025. Prosecutors accuse the opposition leaders of “crimes against the state,” charges that critics say are politically motivated. If convicted, Japaridze faces between 7 and 15 years in prison.
Last updated on July 15, at 5:15 pm.
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