Photo caption: LGBT activists bring a portrait of Kesaria Abramidze to the Georgian parliament building, people bring flowers and light candlesAbout the article
- Author, Nina Akhmeteli
- Place of work, BBC
- September 19, 2024
Updated September 20, 2024
A suspect in the high-profile and brutal murder of transgender woman Kesaria Abramidze has been arrested in Georgia. The 37-year-old model and one of the most famous transgender women in Georgia was found dead in her apartment in Tbilisi on September 18.
The police detained a 26-year-old murder suspect “hot on the trail”. Investigators believe that the suspect stabbed Abramidze multiple times in her apartment over a dispute and then fled the scene.
The police call the detainee by his initials: B.J., while many Georgian and foreign publications have already revealed his full name and reported that he worked as a security guard in one of Tbilisi’s bars.
Abramidze died from her wounds on the spot. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the crime weapon, a knife, was seized as material evidence.
The investigation is being conducted under the article on intentional murder based on gender and with particular cruelty. The article provides for 16 to 20 years or life imprisonment.
Georgian TV channels have distributed footage from surveillance cameras at Abramidze’s entrance, in which the allegedly detained man waits for the elevator and after some time runs down the stairs.
Abramidze’s acquaintances told journalists that she had been repeatedly subjected to violence and threats by B.J. He himself, according to his lawyer, enjoys the right to remain silent and has not yet given testimony.
According to preliminary information, the detainee will be formally charged on Friday.
“Hate Campaign”
The murder of Abramidze, who appeared on many television shows and did not hide her gender identity, caused a wide resonance in Georgia.
“A horrible murder! A denial of humanity! Maybe this will at least sober up our society… mired in hatred, a hatred that gives the enemy the opportunity for any manipulation, that weakens and divides us. Maybe at least the death of this beautiful young woman will humanize and Christianize us… Let this tragedy not be in vain!” wrote Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili on Facebook.
The murder took place amid an election campaign by the ruling Georgian Dream party, which is being conducted under the slogan of “fighting LGBT propaganda” and protecting family values, and a day after parliament adopted legislation restricting the rights of LGBT people.
A silent rally dedicated to Abramidze’s memory was held outside the parliament building in Tbilisi on Thursday evening. People brought flowers and lit candles near Abramidze’s photograph. Here, activists unfurled banners protesting the “fascist legislation” passed by parliament.
“This law that has been adopted is an encouragement and a green light for rapists… Authoritarian states, as we know from history, have always chosen a scapegoat to blame for all the problems. This is how it started in Nazi Germany and in many countries. In Georgia, what we see is an example of Russian fascism, because this is what Putin has legalized in Russia and because of which queer people in Russia have been subjected to violence and fleeing the country for the last decade,” Tbilisi Pride director Tamar Jakeli told the BBC.
According to those gathered at the rally, Abramidze’s murder is a particularly alarming signal for transgender women in Georgia, who already felt unsafe.
“This is not just the murder of one beautiful, strong and self-actualized woman. The murder of any transgender woman is an alarming signal, but she was the most protected of the transgender women – financially, connections. We don’t feel safe anyway, and even more so when such a person is killed like this,” says Nata Talikishvili, a participant in the action.
According to her, aggression against transgender people in Georgia has increased recently, and she herself has had to defend herself on the street several times in recent weeks.
Abramidze, whom she knew personally, she recalls as a goal-oriented and very organized person.
“She was a very warm and incredibly beautiful person. When she walked down the street, she looked like a beautiful fluttering butterfly,” Talikishvili recalls.
Photo by facebook.com/kesaria.abramidze
Some human rights and queer organizations believe that what happened is a consequence of the homophobic rhetoric and policies of the current authorities. The Georgian LGBT community has repeatedly become a target for attacks by far-right groups, while declaring the authorities’ loyal attitude towards them. But recently, according to human rights activists, homophobic rhetoric has intensified on the part of government officials themselves.
“Political homo/bi/transphobia has become the official discourse and ideology of the authorities, which was most clearly demonstrated yesterday by the adoption of fascist anti-LGBT legislation. It is obvious that the politics of hatred leads to serious consequences – oppression, marginalization and violence against LGBTQI. The case of the murder of Kesaria Abramidze cannot be perceived without this difficult general context,” the NGO “Center for Social Justice” said.
The Tbilisi Pride organization, which has repeatedly become a target of homophobic groups, noted that the aggravating circumstance of the murder is related to both femicide and transphobia.
“If it were not for the hatred that the state first encouraged and then legalized, Caesarea would have survived for a long time […] Today, our community in Georgia lives from tragedy to tragedy, in fear of who we will mourn next, or whether we will be next. Systemically generated hatred leads to nothing and always leads to violence, leaving its mark on our bodies,” reads a statement released in connection with the murder of Abramidze.
The organization called on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to involve independent experts and representatives of partner countries to conduct an effective investigation and prevent similar hate crimes in the future.
Photo caption: Memorial event for Kesaria Abramidze outside the parliament building in Tbilisi
Law on LGBT
Vice Speaker of Parliament and Chairperson of the Standing Parliamentary Council on Gender Equality Nino Tsilosani expressed her condolences to Abramidze’s relatives on her Facebook page.
She suggested that Abramidze had been a victim of violence by her partner on more than one occasion. Tsilosani’s post caused indignation among some users, as she was among the 84 deputies who voted for homophobic package legislative changes. Most of the opposition did not participate in the consideration of the package and the vote.
The bill “On the Protection of Family Values and Minors” and amendments to 18 other existing laws introduce a number of bans for queer people. Among other things, the ban includes surgical operations and other medical procedures that facilitate transgender transition.
In addition, it is prohibited to advertise, include in educational programs, or distribute in educational institutions and on air information that is aimed at “popularizing” transgenderism and same-sex relationships.
For the same purpose, it is prohibited to hold public gatherings, that is, rallies and marches.
More than thirty Georgian civil society organizations have called on the Georgian president to veto the package, calling it the legitimization of hatred, censorship and discrimination.
The EU also called on the authorities to completely revise the package, noting that it undermines fundamental rights and will lead to discrimination and stigmatization of part of the Georgian population.