Imprisoned former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has issued his fifth public letter from prison, this time addressing Mamuka Mdinaradze’s resignation and accusing Mdinaradze and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of causing “grave and irreparable damage” to the country, its people, and the Georgian Dream party.
Garibashvili also returns to the claims outlined in his first letter, in which he alleged that he had received a blackmail letter and published a photograph of the printed document. In his latest letter, he seeks to explain what he says prompted the suspicions against him and ultimately led to attempts to eliminate him politically and prosecute him on corruption charges.
According to Garibashvili, the suspicions were linked to an interview with human rights defender Lazare Jorbenadze published in the newspaper Asaval-Dasavali. In the interview, Jorbenadze claimed that he had seen Kobakhidze sign a document concerning the transfer to Azerbaijan of territories belonging to the David Gareji monastery complex that, according to the claim, had been promised by Saakashvili to Aliyev. Garibashvili says Mdinaradze and Kobakhidze suspected that the article had been commissioned by him, reinforcing their belief that he was behind critical publications and prompting a desire to “eliminate even a 1% possibility of his return to politics” by prosecuting him under corruption charges.
Garibashvili further writes that he recently learned that Jorbenadze had died by suicide, which, he says, raises questions about the circumstances of his death. He also points to ‘several other suicides that occurred during the Kobakhidze–Mdinaradze government’, arguing that unanswered questions remain surrounding those deaths
“I believe the public is now convinced that the letter I published is authentic and that the facts stated in it are true. Mamuka Mdinaradze made such serious and egregious mistakes in this matter that they resulted not only in his removal from office, but also in his departure from politics. However, I would like to make my position clear to the public: removing Mdinaradze from politics cannot erase the grave and irreparable damage inflicted on the country, its people, and Georgian Dream with the involvement of both him and Irakli Kobakhidze.
I would once again like to explain to the public what the first part of the letter sent to me meant. It mentioned journalist Dito Chubinidze, Irma Inashvili, and the perceptions and suspicions that had arisen because of their activities. On this matter, Ms. Irma Inashvili herself has made it clear that I had no involvement, and have no involvement, in their political or journalistic activities. I might never have said anything at all about journalist Dito Chubinidze’s articles had I not learned, quite by chance, of a disturbing fact a few days ago. It was precisely because of this that I decided to share additional information with the public — information that is directly connected to the letter sent to me by the authorities and to an incident that took place in February of this year.
On February 12, at the instruction of Kobakhidze and Mdinaradze, I was sent an article from the February 2, 2026 issue of the newspaper Asaval-Dasavali. In that article, journalist Dito Chubinidze interviewed former human rights defender Lazare Jorbenadze. The article was primarily devoted to criticism of Kobakhidze and serious allegations made against him.
I was given a confrontational message containing a suspicion based on an entirely false perception — namely, whether I might have been behind the aforementioned article. I am deliberately leaving out other details, but the central accusation and grievance was precisely that they believed they could see my involvement behind such critical articles.
My reaction was, of course, extremely negative. I made it clear to them that they should not come to me again with questions and accusations of this kind; that such commissioned articles were not my way of doing things, but rather characteristic of them. Later, these critical accusations were repeatedly voiced on the air by the television channel Obieqtivi as well.
Now the picture is clear to me, and the answer to all these questions has become apparent: this explains why the first part of the letter stated that “supporters like Dito Chubinidze and Irma Inashvili” had raised serious suspicions and seriously harmed the interests of the Kobakhidze–Mdinaradze team.
This entire story probably would not have been something I needed to make public had I not learned, quite by chance, that some time after the publication of Dito Chubinidze’s aforementioned article, the person interviewed in the article, human rights defender Lazare Jorbenadze, took his own life…
I also learned that, in connection with the death of the late human rights defender Lazare Jorbenadze, the newspaper Asaval-Dasavali itself openly raised questions and cast doubt on the suicide theory.
The following question must be answered: What was the real cause of the death of human rights defender Lazare Jorbenadze?
I am raising this question publicly because questions surrounding the deaths by suicide of several people that occurred during the rule of the Kobakhidze–Mdinaradze government remain unanswered in the public sphere to this day,” – reads the fifth letter sent out by imprisoned ex-prime minister Irakli Garibashvili.
Lazare Jorbenadze; Cover photo of the newspaper Asaval-Dasavali, February 2, 2026 issue
