“I ask every police officer, let us not arm our enemies. The verdict against Gakharia must be enforced, because that is what the Strasbourg Court has ruled. And as for those of you wagging your fingers at us here: bring him back, let him answer before the law, and then your free tribune will carry rather more conviction,” declared MP Tea Tsulukiani, a member of the parliamentary majority, in response to remarks made by representatives of the For Georgia faction at a plenary session of Parliament.

“We simply have, unlike a great many other parties, and this is precisely what is destroying that so-called United National Movement, a certain sense that you do your part, you step aside, and someone else comes along. Lika Shartava came, Paghava came, Gorduladze came, Chakvetadze, Makhashvili, Rurua; these are young people. Such is life: time passes, and others must come forward. But that does not mean that because some of us have been sitting quietly here, you are now entitled to kick us. Do not kick us, because we shall deliver such a kick in return that not one of you will be left standing. Because just how many times in your life have you seen Gakharia? Once or twice? Ten times? I was a cabinet minister under him, so do not come to me here with your stories about how he ran the Ministry of Internal Affairs and what manner of Prime Minister he was. Where is Sabanidze? How very interesting, given that you’re speaking about police officers at all, have any of you ever so much as seen the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs? Go on then, ask him what he was planning when I was Minister of Justice and the prisons were in my charge. What was he planning in those so-called zones, in the penitentiary service? What was he planning with Mr Gakharia’s blessing? Ask him, you have your live connections to Berlin, to the leader sitting in his asylum. He was planning a crime, until I told him that before you commit that crime in an open prison facility, you will find me standing at the door; the rest, they can tell you themselves. Out they come here, all purity and innocence. The crime was averted before it was committed. That is why it wasn’t… I cannot deliver a lecture now on the grounds for opening an investigation; time is passing. So do not take advantage of the silence of certain people here; that is the first point,” said Tsulukiani.

Tea Tsulukiani further observed that the Gakharia for Georgia party MPs do not engage with the genuine shortcomings of legislation before Parliament. She also argued that the opposition’s statements regarding the Gori incident amounted to interference in an ongoing investigation.

“The second point, as regards Gakharia: do not attempt to distance yourselves from him, because you are members of Gakharia’s party and the parliamentary wing of the United National Movement. Parties sometimes have an armed wing. You are the UNM parliamentary wing, to my great regret. To my regret and to all our regret, because Georgian Dream is in dire need of a strong parliamentary opposition. How many pieces of legislation have come through? I have not missed a single session in a year and a half; I sit here, and I look: is there a flaw? I recognise flaws in the bills and examine whether they will address these issues, specifically, whether they will raise the flaw or overlook it. Not one flaw that I, with my modest abilities, have spotted in a bill initiated by the majority or by the executive branch, not one has any of you raised a hand over. Either you cannot see them, or you choose not to. Instead, you hold free tribunes on matters that no longer exist. This is already a non-issue, because an investigation is underway. Today’s free tribune, as you have used it, and I’m unsure what should be done about it, whether the standing orders need to be amended or not, is a direct and crude interference in an investigation. You are directly interfering, which constitutes interference in an investigation as prohibited by law. Sighing and groaning won’t help this situation, I’m afraid; a little more reading is required, including in jurisprudence. We are not in a student union here, Mr Giorgi. You are somewhat older today, and a considerably greater degree of seriousness is expected of you.

I ask every police officer: let us not arm our enemies. And the verdict against Gakharia must be enforced, because that is what the Strasbourg Court has ruled, and as for those of you wagging your fingers at us here, bring him back, let him answer before the law, and then your free tribune will carry rather more conviction,” declared Tea Tsulukiani.