Georgian Parliament Speaker accuses domestic NGOs, opposition making “no comments” on former President Saakashvili’s arrest in 2021
Papuashvili claimed the developments had “only come to an end when the European Court of Human Rights exposed both the Georgian opposition and foreign enemies for their forgery, dismantling the false narrative that had been constructed for months”, in reference to the Court’s dismissal of Saakashvili’s complaint that asked it to order domestic authorities to transfer him to a foreign country for treatment. Photo: Shalva Papuashvili/Facebook
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Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday accused domestic non-governmental organisations and political opposition of making “no comments” about the three-year anniversary of the arrest of the country’s former President Mikheil Saakashvili on his illegal crossing of the border from Ukraine to the country ahead of municipal elections on October 2, 2021.
Papuashvili claimed the lack of remarks on the date that he said had marked a case of an “intelligence service of a friendly country planning such a subversive operation”, and noted the Ukrainian Government had also not responded to the incident, while the “organiser of this operation” remained in his position, in reference to Giorgi Lortkipanidze, the country’s former Deputy Interior Minister under the United National Movement Government who currently serves as the Deputy Head of the Ukrainian military intelligence.
Saakashvili was arrested by the State Security Service of Georgia on his return to the country ahead of the vote.
The Parliament Speaker said Saakashvili's “clear intent” with his return had been to “create chaos on election day and disrupt the electoral process”, noting the former President had been sentenced to six years for abuse of power over the high-profile murder case of Sandro Girgvliani in 2006, and the case of the 2005 physical assault on opposition MP Valeri Gelashvili in Tbilisi.
Papuashvili said Saakashvili had “moved freely” within the European Union and the United States, held high positions in the Ukrainian Government, and “managed radical political groups” in Georgia from abroad, while also conducting meetings with representatives of various EU institutions and political groups despite the criminal charges.
After our security services thwarted the plan to create chaos in the country, which included sneaking Saakashvili in, pressure began to be exerted on the [Georgian] authorities to release Saakashvili from his sentence”, the official claimed.
The chief Georgian legislator claimed Nino Lomjaria, the Georgian Public Defender at the time, had “drawn up a false report” on Saakashvili's health condition in detention “being so serious that he had to leave the penitentiary facility”, with the report supported by the domestic opposition and non-governmental organisations.
He also alleged a “campaign” for Saakashvili's release, labelled "Free Misha", had gained “notoriety and involved various recognisable figures”.
The official also recalled a “démarche” at the country’s Ministry of Justice, held “on behalf of the EU” that suggested Saakashvili's imprisonment was a “problem that needed resolution”, while the Government faced “European Parliament resolutions drafted by American lobbyists” for the purpose.
He also highlighted an incident during a visit of medical professionals from Poland to the country last year for assessing service offered to Saakashvili by the staff of a Tbilisi clinic where the former President was being treated, when one of the visiting doctors attempted to sneak a sample taken from the former official through his shoe.
This false campaign, in which European and American high-ranking officials, the Public Defender, the opposition and non-governmental organisations were involved, lasted almost two years”, the Parliament Speaker said.
During this period, there was not a day without external attacks on Georgia, involving the same faces, that even today, continue to attack on Georgian people and throw mud at the state of these people”, he added.
Papuashvili claimed the developments had “only come to an end when the European Court of Human Rights exposed both the Georgian opposition and foreign enemies for their forgery, dismantling the false narrative that had been constructed for months”, in reference to the Court’s dismissal of Saakashvili’s complaint that asked it to order domestic authorities to transfer him to a foreign country for treatment.
The lawmaker also noted Saakashvili had “suddenly recovered from dementia, and foreign politicians and diplomats also changed the topic of conversation” following the ECHR ruling, adding their claims had “damaged the reputation of the whole country”.