Koba Davitashvili, leader of the opposition People’s Party, said he was kidnapped and brutally beaten by seven men in civilian clothing on November 7.

Davitashvili appeared at a news conference in his party headquarters in Tbilisi with a bruised face on November 8.

He said that he was attacked and beaten early on November 7 at an outdoor market in Tbilisi, where he had wanted to buy a power generator needed for the protest rally.

Then, he said, he was taken by car to Gori hospital. He said his injuries did not warrent being sent to the emergency room. “What they tried was to isolate me… I couldn't get in touch with anyone,” Davitashvili said.

Davitashvili’s disappearance on November 7 sparked rumors in Tbilisi the following morning that he had been killed.