Kesaria Abramidze , a prominent Georgian transgender model , was found murdered in her Tbilisi apartment on Wednesday, a day after the Georgian government passed a new law imposing strict limits on LGBTQ+ rights. The 37-year-old was believed to have been stabbed to death, and a man has been arrested in connection with the crime, as reported by Georgian media.
Abramidze, 37, was one of Georgia 's first openly transgender public figures. The law includes bans on same-sex marriages and gender-affirming treatments, and it allows officials to ban Pride events and censor films and books.
The new legislation, which passed its third and final reading in parliament on Tuesday, has been controversial. Critics say it mirrors anti-LGBTQ+ measures in Russia. Civil society groups in Georgia have linked Abramidze's death to a broader state campaign against minorities.
"There is a direct correlation between the use of hate speech in politics and hate crimes," the Social Justice Center , a Tbilisi-based human rights group, said. The group added, "It has been almost a year that the Georgian Dream government has been aggressively using homo/bi/transphobic language and cultivating it with mass propaganda means."
Under the Georgian Dream party, which has become more anti-liberal, violence against LGBTQ+ people has increased. Last year, opponents of gay rights disrupted an LGBTQ+ festival in Tbilisi, forcing it to be canceled. This year, a large march promoting "traditional family values" took place, attended by the ruling party and the Orthodox church.
European Union officials and other critics have warned that the new law could harm Georgia's EU membership aspirations. Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, urged the Georgian government to withdraw the law. "It would increase discrimination & stigmatisation," he said.
Michael Roth, chair of the Bundestag foreign affairs committee in Germany, said, "Those who sow hatred will reap violence. Kesaria Abramidze was killed just one day after the Georgian parliament passed the anti-LGBTI law."
The law's passage is seen by some as a potential shift in Georgia's stance toward Russia, especially with parliamentary elections coming up in five weeks. Georgia’s pro-western president, Salome Zourabichvili, is expected to veto the law, although parliament has enough votes to override her veto.
Abramidze had a significant presence online and represented Georgia at Miss Trans Star International in 2018. Tributes have been pouring in for her. Maia Otarashvili, a Georgian political scientist, called her "a trailblazer for Georgia’s trans rights."
President Zourabichvili said Abramidze's murder should be a "wake-up call" for society. "A terrible murder! The death of this beautiful young woman … should not be in vain!" she wrote on Facebook.
Abramidze, 37, was one of Georgia 's first openly transgender public figures. The law includes bans on same-sex marriages and gender-affirming treatments, and it allows officials to ban Pride events and censor films and books.
The new legislation, which passed its third and final reading in parliament on Tuesday, has been controversial. Critics say it mirrors anti-LGBTQ+ measures in Russia. Civil society groups in Georgia have linked Abramidze's death to a broader state campaign against minorities.
"There is a direct correlation between the use of hate speech in politics and hate crimes," the Social Justice Center , a Tbilisi-based human rights group, said. The group added, "It has been almost a year that the Georgian Dream government has been aggressively using homo/bi/transphobic language and cultivating it with mass propaganda means."
Under the Georgian Dream party, which has become more anti-liberal, violence against LGBTQ+ people has increased. Last year, opponents of gay rights disrupted an LGBTQ+ festival in Tbilisi, forcing it to be canceled. This year, a large march promoting "traditional family values" took place, attended by the ruling party and the Orthodox church.
European Union officials and other critics have warned that the new law could harm Georgia's EU membership aspirations. Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, urged the Georgian government to withdraw the law. "It would increase discrimination & stigmatisation," he said.
Michael Roth, chair of the Bundestag foreign affairs committee in Germany, said, "Those who sow hatred will reap violence. Kesaria Abramidze was killed just one day after the Georgian parliament passed the anti-LGBTI law."
The law's passage is seen by some as a potential shift in Georgia's stance toward Russia, especially with parliamentary elections coming up in five weeks. Georgia’s pro-western president, Salome Zourabichvili, is expected to veto the law, although parliament has enough votes to override her veto.
Abramidze had a significant presence online and represented Georgia at Miss Trans Star International in 2018. Tributes have been pouring in for her. Maia Otarashvili, a Georgian political scientist, called her "a trailblazer for Georgia’s trans rights."
President Zourabichvili said Abramidze's murder should be a "wake-up call" for society. "A terrible murder! The death of this beautiful young woman … should not be in vain!" she wrote on Facebook.
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