Georgian trans model brutally murdered days after parliament passed ‘anti-LGBTQ' law

A famous Georgian transgender model was murdered just days after the country passed legislation which intends to impose sweeping curbs on LGBTQ+ rights. Georgia’s interior minister stated that a 37-year-old model Kesaria Abramidze, was believed to have been stabbed to death in her apartment in suburban Tbilisi on Wednesday.

The country’s media later reported that a man was arrested in connection with the crime. Abramidze was one of the country’s first openly trans public figures. Her murder came amid growing agitation over controversial legislation on “family values and the protection of minors” that will allow officials to outlaw Pride events and censor films and books.

Tributes started to pour in soon after the incident with many activists stating that Abramidze’s murder had a direct link with the legislation being passed by the parliament. “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 in its statement reacting to the murder.

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“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,” it added.

What the controversial legislation is about?

The law was passed by the Georgian parliament on Tuesday in its third and final reading. The restriction includes bans on same-sex marriages and gender-affirming treatments. Critics argued that the bill was initially introduced by the bill, which was initially introduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party, mirrors the one implemented in neighbouring Russia.

The legislation came a year after, hundreds of opponents of gay rights stormed an LGBTQ+ festival in Tbilisi, forcing the event to be cancelled. This year, hundreds also marched in the capital promoting “traditional family values”.

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However, many are expecting Georgia’s pro-western president, Salome Zourabichvili, whose functions are mostly ceremonial, to veto the law before it comes into effect. It is important to note that the contentious law is also expected to sour relations between Georgia and the European Union.

On Wednesday, Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, called on the Georgian government to withdraw the “family values” law, warning it would harm Georgia’s chances of joining the bloc.

The Georgian Parliament adopted laws on ‘family values and protection of minors’ which will undermine the fundamental rights of the people and increase discrimination & stigmatisation.
I call on Georgia to withdraw this legislation, further derailing the country from its EU path.

— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) September 18, 2024

“The Georgian Parliament adopted laws on ‘family values and protection of minors’ which will undermine the fundamental rights of the people and increase discrimination & stigmatization,” Borrell wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I call on Georgia to withdraw this legislation, further derailing the country from its EU path,” he added.

With inputs from agencies.