On December 17, 1998, supporters of former president Zviad Gamsakhurdia—often referred to in the press as “Zviadists”—gathered in front of the Georgian Parliament under the leadership of Manana Archvadze-Gamsakhurdia. They demanded the restoration of what they considered the country’s legitimate government and the return of the parliament building. For them, since Gamsakhurdia’s circle had been unlawfully removed from power, Georgia was being ruled by an illegitimate government. As a result, they staged protests on a permanent basis, frequently calling for President Eduard Shevardnadze to resign. Chants of “Shevardnadze is Judas!” echoed at their rallies.

The protest on December 17 carried the same spirit. As in many previous demonstrations, the rally was dispersed by the special police unit OMON, commanded by Temur Mghebrishvili. According to the newspaper Kviris Palitra, “the police hunted Zviadists like rabbits, capturing them one by one and loading them into specially prepared buses.” The day was later described as “a manhunt on Zviadists.” Reports claimed that police used electric shock devices, and gunfire was also heard. Protesters packed into buses were driven toward Marneuli, forced out along the roadside, and abandoned there. Manana Archvadze-Gamsakhurdia was reportedly taken to Kareli, held briefly, then placed in a car again and dropped off near the Delisi metro station in Tbilisi around midnight.

When Rustaveli Avenue was cleared that day, protesters realized that Archvadze-Gamsakhurdia was missing. They relocated to the courtyard of Merab Kostava’s house, near the Rustaveli monument. There, 27 demonstrators sat on the steps and began a hunger strike. Among them was Nugzar Lezhava. Later that evening, around 9 p.m., a group of masked men stormed the yard and brutally beat the hunger strikers with batons. Some fled into the Kostava house-museum, but others were injured. Lezhava was later found dead on the nearby lawn, with his head fractured in three places. Witnesses claimed they saw masked attackers beating him, while security services insisted he had fallen from the roof of the neighboring Pedagogical Institute building.