Tbilisi, Georgia – The brutal murder of Kesaria Abramidze, a prominent transgender model, actor, and influencer, has sent shockwaves through Georgia’s LGBTQ+ community and beyond. On Wednesday, 26-year-old Beka Jaiani was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for stabbing Abramidze to death in her home last September—just one day after Georgia’s parliament passed sweeping anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
Abramidze, 37, was found dead in her Tbilisi apartment with over 50 stab wounds. She had long been a beloved and visible figure in Georgia’s queer community, known for her beauty, resilience, and advocacy. In 2018, she represented Georgia at Miss Trans Star International, and her social media presence attracted more than 500,000 followers.
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The Tbilisi City Court, presided over by Judge Nino Galustashvili, found Jaiani guilty of murder with particular cruelty, motivated by gender-based intolerance. He was convicted under Georgia’s criminal code for both the killing and systematic abuse during their two-year relationship. Though Jaiani had partially admitted guilt, he was absent from the courtroom, citing emotional distress, and denied the killing was motivated by gender or cruelty.
CCTV footage and eyewitness reports played a critical role in the conviction. Surveillance video showed Jaiani waiting outside Abramidze’s apartment shortly before the murder, and neighbors testified to hearing screams moments before discovering her lifeless body.
Abramidze’s death has become a tragic flashpoint in a country where LGBTQ+ rights are under aggressive assault. Just one day prior to the killing, Georgian lawmakers passed legislation severely restricting those rights, banning same-sex marriage, LGBTQ+ adoptions, gender-affirming care, and even public depictions of queer relationships. The new measures also prohibit legal gender marker changes and censor LGBTQ+ content in books, media, and public events.
President Salome Zourabichvili, who opposes the laws, condemned Abramidze’s murder as a “terrible denial of humanity,” urging the country to reckon with the rising hate. “Only this might sober up our society,” she said.
Rights groups are calling for accountability, not just for the murder, but for the systemic targeting of LGBTQ+ people. The Social Justice Center released a statement directly linking political hate speech to rising violence. “The policy of hate has serious consequences, harassment, marginalization, and now murder,” it said. “The case of Kesaria Abramidze cannot be separated from this broader context.”
Abramidze is the third transgender woman to be murdered in Georgia in recent years. Each killing has fueled growing concern over the safety of queer individuals in the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million, where the Orthodox Church holds immense influence and anti-LGBTQ+ demonstrations are common.
International responses have also been swift. The British Embassy in Tbilisi expressed deep concern over the legislation, warning it “undermines fundamental human rights” and risks further discrimination and violence.
For many in the transgender community, Abramidze’s death is not an isolated tragedy, it’s a warning. In a nation adopting repressive laws that mirror Russia’s, fear is mounting that hate crimes will escalate while protections vanish.
As candles and flowers continue to line her memorial in central Tbilisi, Kesaria Abramidze is being remembered not just for her beauty and courage but for the price she paid for being visible in a country growing increasingly hostile to her existence.
