“I serve neither the West, nor the East, nor the North, nor the South,” imprisoned former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili writes in his sixth letter since speaking out against his former political allies, as he pushes back against the narratives that have emerged around his accusations and the subsequent investigation.
In the letter, Garibashvili again insists that he is not fighting anyone but is “defending himself and his family,” while strongly rejecting any suggestion that he is connected to the opposition. At the same time, he accuses the authorities of turning what should be a legal process into a political one and condemns what he describes as a propaganda campaign aimed at discrediting him and linking him to the United National Movement.
Garibashvili says he has heard “unworthy, false and hypocritical” statements from his former teammates but does not consider them worthy of a response. He makes one exception for Georgian Dream Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, whom he addresses directly, telling him: “This is not a legal process — this is relentless political persecution.”
The remark appears to be a direct response to Papuashvili’s recent criticism that Garibashvili was attempting to shift a legal matter into the political realm by using a tragedy to make insinuations — something the Speaker described as regrettable.
Garibashvili also rejects narratives circulated by Azerbaijani media and subsequently amplified by Georgian Dream propaganda television channels, which claimed that, ‘at the height of the protests, he had been an agent of France-backed “revolutionaries” within Georgian Dream’. Mocking the allegations, Garibashvili says he has apparently now been labelled both an agent of the “deep state” and of France, adding that he is “lucky” not to speak other foreign languages, or he might have been declared an agent of other countries as well.
Letter number 6:
“The government’s panicked reaction and utterly inappropriate conduct have fully exposed the system for what it is. The public has witnessed yet another absurd and, at the same time, utterly repulsive and tragic farce staged by the authorities.
Instead of providing timely and transparent explanations regarding the specific facts and questions raised, we have witnessed a series of unserious interrogations, one of whose main purposes was to link me to the United National Movement and portray the entire process as something pre-planned and coordinated with the radical opposition.
I have also learned in recent days that, apparently, I am an agent of the “deep state” and, at the same time, an agent of France. I suppose I am “lucky” that I don’t speak any other foreign languages; otherwise, I would probably have been declared an agent of other countries as well…
To the government’s ridiculous and feeble propaganda tactic, I have this response: Stop wasting your time! Just as water and oil cannot mix, it is impossible to associate me with the United National Movement in any way!
I would also remind the public that, as I understand it, an investigation into the circumstances that led Lazare Jorbenadze to take his own life has been ongoing for nearly five months. Yet the people and journalists who have been publicly raising questions throughout this entire period have still not been questioned. Instead, immediately after my letter was published, they began questioning, without delay, everyone who publicly responded to my letter.
Stop playing these dirty political games against me! The people know who Irakli Garibashvili is, and our society can very clearly distinguish between my word and yours. People also know very well that I serve neither the West, nor the East, nor the North, nor the South. I serve Georgia!
Over the past few days, I have heard many unworthy, false, and hypocritical statements and comments from people who have lost all sense of decency. Perhaps they expect me to respond to them, but I want to tell them that they are not even worthy of a response from me. I want to respond only to Shalva Papuashvili: Shalva, this is not a legal process — this is relentless political persecution!
And once again, let me remind everyone: I am not fighting anyone — you are the ones who stabbed me in the back… Now I am simply forced to defend myself and my family against this injustice and cruelty“.
