ElISO Janashia: Case Over Attack on Her in Poti Turned Against Her

Poti journalist and founder of social enterprise "Limen" Elisо Janashia claims that the case over the attack on her on December 23, 2024 has been "turned against her." According to her, the investigation was split into two parts, and the investigator is now summoning her for questioning. Janashia says the investigation is using actions she took in self-defense against her.

"Those who remember the attack on me at "Limen" and are interested in whether the attacker was punished: no, and now they are planning to flip the case, as if I attacked myself!" writes Elisо Janashia.

According to her, the investigator has been calling for several days and asking her to come for questioning, but she is in a clinic due to her health condition.

"As I found out, the case has been split in two: in one, they are investigating an attack on me, and in the other, as if I attacked myself on the other side. So my self-defense has now been turned against me," writes Janashia.

She says the attack took place on December 23, 2024, and almost two years later she has to justify herself for defending herself against the attacker. "Two years will soon pass. And what have we got? I have to explain why I was defending myself," she notes.

According to Janashia, a few months after the attack, Poti Mayor Beka Vacharadze included the woman accused of attacking her in his election campaign and also published a photo taken with her.

"When the mayor of Poti put my attacker beside him in his election campaign, for me it was a clear message, and it further strengthened the suspicion of who could have ordered it. Do the investigators have questions about this? They don't. I do!" writes Janashia.

The journalist also sees a possible link between her journalistic work and the case currently under investigation against her. According to her, the investigator called her after she began studying the property and possible corruption ties of Georgian Dream representatives in Poti and became active on these issues.

"Probably, they should ban me too. They could not attribute me to any party and are struggling with something. Now, when I started studying the property and possible corruption ties of Poti Georgian Dream people and became active, the investigator is calling me. The connection between these events is easy to find if we recall the cheerful photo of Vacharadze and my attacker," Janashia states.

On December 23, 2024, Elisо Janashia said that Georgian Dream activist Nineli Kulonava attacked her and physically assaulted her. Janashia told Radio Liberty that Kulonava pulled out her hair and damaged her scalp, and the journalist needed emergency medical assistance.

According to Janashia's account, Kulonava deliberately came to the office and expressed dissatisfaction that the social enterprise was founded with financial support from the European Union.