In November 2001, four clergymen were kidnapped in Georgia’s Pankisi Gorge. While three were later released, Father Basil Machitadze remained in captivity, with kidnappers demanding a ransom of one million US dollars.

On January 5, 2002, the relatives of the abducted monk launched a protest demanding his release. By January 7, members of the “Afghan Veterans Union” had joined the demonstrations. The monk’s family claimed they had already provided police with the names of the kidnappers, but authorities failed to act. Protesters demanded the release of hostages, improvements in the criminal situation in Pankisi, and the relocation of military checkpoints deeper into the valley. Soon, local residents and officials from the Akhmeta municipal council also joined the rallies.

On January 14, Georgia’s Interior Ministry and State Security Ministry announced they would begin “special search operations” in the valley to rescue hostages, seize illegal weapons, and combat drug trafficking.

Later, on January 30, Avtandil Ioseliani, head of the State Intelligence Department, stated that the authorities knew the kidnappers’ identities and would soon free the captives. However, this promise was not fulfilled, and more abductions followed, including four police officers, a British national, the founder of Agrobusinessbank Peter Shaw, Georgian footballer Kakha Kaladze’s brother Levan Kaladze, and local resident Aziz Khalilov. Khalilov was found dead on March 15, 2002, while Peter Shaw was released on November 6, 2002. Father Basil Machitadze was never found, and Levan Kaladze’s body was discovered years later, on January 7, 2006.

Despite the wave of kidnappings, Georgian Interior Minister Koba Narchemashvili told reporters that the situation in Pankisi was “stable.”

This protest in Pankisi Gorge highlighted Georgia’s deep security crisis in the early 2000s, marked by rampant kidnappings, criminal activity, and public distrust of law enforcement.