Kesaria Abramidze, a prominent Georgiantransgendermodel, was foundmurderedin her Tbilisi apartment, just one day after Georgian lawmakers passed a law widely seen asanti-LGBTQ+. A 26-year-old man believed to be Abramidze’s boyfriend has been arrested on suspicion of her murder.
Trigger warning: transphobia, hate crime, murder– Georgia’s interior ministry said that Abramidze was believed to have been stabbed to death in her apartment in suburban Tbilisi on September 18,The Guardianreported on September 19.
HighlightsAbramidze, a known transgender model, found murdered post anti-LGBTQ+ law.Her boyfriend, Jaiani, was arrested for stabbing Abramidze 28 times.Abramidze’s death follows Georgia’s controversial anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.Georgia’s President condemned the murder, calling it an act of hatred.
Abramidze’s former partner, 26-year-old Beka Jaiani, was subsequently arrested and charged with her murder,OC Mediareported on September 23.
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Kesaria Abramidze, a prominent Georgian transgender model, was found murdered in her Tbilisi apartment
Image credits:Sheldon Kennedy/Unsplash
Jaiani reportedlystabbedAbramidze 28 times with a knife in her flat. He was apprehended a day later and went on to deny the charges through his lawyer.
The local prosecutor’s office has stated that Jaiani had admitted to being allowed into Abramidze’s apartment on 18 September, the day of the murder, after agreeing to her posting photos of the two on social media, as perOC Media.
Image credits:kesaria_official
Jaiani was consequently charged with premeditatedmurderwith particular cruelty “based on gender.” If convicted, he could face up to 16 years or life imprisonment, according toOC Media.
“Like most murders of trans women around the world, she knew her murderer, he was her boyfriend, Beka Jaiani,” the international pageant for transgender womenMiss Trans Globalwrote on its official Facebook page on September 20.
In April, Abramidze reportedly shared her personal experience ofdomestic violenceat the hands of Jaiani, according to the pageant organization.
She was murdered just one day after Georgian lawmakers passed a law widely seen as anti-LGBTQ+
In a previous post on social media, the late model wrote: “I would also like to thank my next-door neighbor who saved me when he attacked me at home, otherwise I might not be alive today.
“About a month ago, he gave me a concussion himself and took me to Ghudushauri, which is documented in this clinic.”
Image credits:kesaria_official/Formula News
“I’m writing this post to be an example for other women and so that you don’t waste years with a manipulative, narcissisticabuser!”
Approximately 22.5% of trans women, 22.4% of non-binary women, and 19.2% of trans men reported sexual abuse in 2023,The Hotlinerecently reported, which is higher than the average of 14.2% of LGBTQ+ survivors.
Moreover, a2020 studyfound that transgender individuals face significantly higher rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) than cisgender individuals.
A 26-year-old man believed to be Abramidze’s boyfriend has been arrested on suspicion of her murder
Image credits:InterpressNews.ge
One in sixtransgenderpeople experienced physical IPV and one in 10 experienced sexual IPV in 2019.
Transgender peopleare over twice as likely to suffer physical or sexual IPV, which is linked to poorer mental and sexual health, and increased substance abuse.
Abramidze, who lost her life at the age of 37, was one of Georgia’s first openlytrans public figures.
Image credits:temidainsta
Her death follows controversial legislation on “family values and the protection of minors” that will allow officials to outlaw Pride events and censor films and books in Georgia,The Guardianreported.
It is reportedly expected to be another point of contention between Georgia and the European Union as the country seeks to join the bloc.
Abramidze’s former partner, 26-year-old Beka Jaiani, was subsequently arrested and charged with her murder
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Under the Georgian Dream party, which has taken an increasingly anti-liberal stance, the country has seen a rise in violence againstLGBTQ+people, according toThe Guardian.
Since coming to power, the Georgian Dream party has held significant influence over the government, including a parliamentary majority, which allows it to pass laws and shape policy.
“Horrifying murder! Rejection of humanity! This should be a sobering call … Hatred drenched in hatred, which weakens and divides us and gives a hand to an enemy to manipulate us,” Zourabichvili wrote on her personal Facebook page.
Her death follows Georgia’s controversial legislation on “family values and the protection of minors”
She added: “I hope the death of this beautiful young woman will make us more humane, more Christian. I hope this tragedy will not be in vain.”
Abramidze was laid to rest at a ceremony in Tbilisi on September 23,OC Mediareported. The Georgian Orthodox Church refused to provide burial services for Abramidze due to hertransgenderidentity.
Abramidze was a widely recognized and outspoken figure who was perhaps the most prominent personality from Georgia’s queer community, as perOC Media.
She came to prominence in the Georgian media over a decade ago.
Abramidze’s murder sparked outrage on social media
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