Georgian parliamentary majority MPs have criticised the McCain Institute after it announced a half-million-dollar grant to advocate for political prisoners, including the founder of Batumelebi and Netgazeti media outlets, Mzia Amaglobeli, who was recently sent behind bars by the Batumi City Court for two years for resistance, threats, or violence against public order defenders or other government representatives. The ruling party MPs viewed the grant announcement as foreign interference in the country’s judicial affairs.
“It is disinformation and nothing but disinformation when the McCain Institute makes statements regarding Mzia Amaglobeli and places her alongside other persons,” parliamentary majority member Archil Gorduladze criticised the McCain Institute.
Gorduladze accused the institute of selective justice.
“The McCain Institute should have had good intentions then and included the name of the person who slapped Macron and then served 14 months of responsibility. But they didn’t make any statement about him. Why didn’t they? Because that person is not an executor of externally received assignments,” Gorduladze asserted.
The MP alleged foreign manipulation, claiming: “Unfortunately, Mrs Mzia Amaglobeli has been used by agents and controlled people, including persons and organisations with foreign names, to bring protest charges into our country.”
Gorduladze further accused the institute of judicial interference.
“The McCain Institute’s statement is an attempt to influence the judicial system and justice… We are confident that the Strasbourg court will also decide that the decisions and procedural actions taken by law enforcement agencies and courts in Georgia fully comply with the European Charter.”
He connected the institute to what he termed a global conspiracy.
“There is no difference between the McCain Institute, USAID, NED, or EED. Their funding source is the same, which we call the Global War Party, or the Deep State, whose goals are dark: to sow discord in our country and bring agents to power through chaos.”
Fellow ruling party MP Davit Matikashvili also delivered criticism, accusing the institute of deception.
“At the McCain Institute, they think they can easily fool the entire world if they name Mzia Amaglobeli alongside political prisoners in other countries, who are held accountable for direct crime, and thus equate Amaglobeli with other persons abroad,” MP Matikashvili stated.
Matikashvili condemned what he saw as deliberate misinformation.
“This is such sweet lies, at the McCain Institute, they think there are no media outlets in the world, no information, no archives exist, people cannot see publicly committed crimes, and with their passages they anoint Georgia with pus,” the lawmakers stated.
He described the institute’s report as fundamentally dishonest.
“They’re talking as if Nika Gvaramia [leader of the opposition Ahali party and co-founder of the opposition-leaning Mtavari TV, former director of Rustavi 2 TV] was arrested for reporting. They’re in complete absurdity; this institute doesn’t shy away from such sweet lies that it cannot withstand any criticism. Conversely, it has been reported that the McCain Institute played a role in facilitating Gvaramia’s release and pardon,” Matikashvili added.
The MP also highlighted connections to former President Zourabichvili. [Note: Georgian then President Salome Zourabichvili pardoned Mtavari TV founder Nika Gvaramia back in 2023. Gvaramia was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison for abuse of power over his managerial decisions when he ran Rustavi 2 TV.]
“Zourabichvili immediately became part of the McCain Institute, a global negative force, as soon as her term ended. This directly confirms that Salome Zourabichvili was an agent of the Deep State, and her agency work was revealed by the fact that she was fulfilling the tasks of the Deep State, the McCain Institute.”
Parliamentary majority member Rati Ionatamishvili branded the McCain Institute a foreign tool of interference.
“The McCain Institute is a hybrid instrument of the Deep State. From the experience of recent years, we also know how the McCain Institute tried to develop violent processes in Georgia, organise chaos, and quite large sums were spent by this organisation in this regard,” the lawmakers stated.
Ionatamishvili dismissed the institute’s efforts as futile.
“We also know how the McCain Institute is distinguished by hatred towards the President of the United States. We also know that Salome Zourabichvili is a contractor of the McCain Institute, and what she declares has only the legitimacy of the McCain Institute. Any activity of this institute that will be carried out against Georgia is futile and will never produce results,” he asserted.
Ionatamishvili characterised the organisation’s work as fundamentally deceptive.
“This organisation only spends money on its own agents and strengthening agency work. Everything else they declare is fake and lies,” he said.
Regarding Nika Gvaramia specifically, Rati Ionatamishvili stated: “As for Gvaramia, I will remind everyone that this person was serving a sentence for fraud when he dared to steal money from the company he was leading. Incidentally, the next company where he worked also brought similar charges against this person. As it seems, we are dealing with a repeat offender and an incorrigible character.”
The McCain Institute received a half-million-dollar grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to advocate for political prisoners and hostages. According to the institute, the first year will focus on several high-profile cases, including Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, Venezuelan opposition leader Jesús Armas, Belarusian flautist and activist Maria Kolesnikova, and Israeli-American hostages in Gaza.
