Nino Abesadze

Nino Abesadze was born in 1965 in Tbilisi

Abesadze was born in Tbilisi in 1965 to a Georgian Christian father and a Russian-Jewish mother. She studied film at the Open University of Georgia and then earned degrees in Russian literature and linguistics at Tbilisi State University.

She worked for Georgian State Television and later presented its evening news. Her mother and sisters moved to Israel, while she stayed in Georgia. She began a relationship with Baruch Ben-Neria, Israel's ambassador to Georgia and Armenia, and moved to Israel with him in 1996.

In Israel she hosted Russian language programs on Channel 33 and wrote for the Russian language newspaper Novosti Nedeli, later as a political commentator. She also hosted programs on Channel 2 and on a Georgian language channel, and served as a commentator on foreign affairs.

She ran in the Kadima primaries in 2008 and placed 30th, too low to enter the Knesset in 2009. She entered the Knesset in November 2010 in place of Tzachi Hanegbi. With Nitzan Horowitz she founded the Knesset's gay lobby in 2011, and she proposed laws on domestic violence hearings and egg labeling.

Before the 2013 elections she moved to the Labor Party and was placed 19th on its list, but the party won 15 seats. She lives in Kokhav Ya'ir with her partner and two daughters.