UNM’s Pavlenishvili: I did not expect Zodelava and Nadiradze to be detained on Rustaveli Avenue

“No one sacrificed either Murtaz Zodelava or Irakli Nadiradze. It was not like that; they had information that we did not possess,” stated Irakli Pavlenishvili, a member of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party.

When asked why the UNM members were not alongside Murtaz Zodelava and Irakli Nadiradze at the time of their arrest, Pavlenishvili explained, “I was near Atoneli street; I wasn’t in that exact location. You’re asking the question as if someone had deliberately sacrificed these people. That was not the case. They had information that we lacked. We were discussing the fact that there were two main principles that the organisers emphasised. One is that there is no escaping responsibility. Everyone is well aware of who the organiser was, who the organisers were. We were talking about this ourselves, including me. I also made the mistake of not expecting that they would be arrested at that particular moment, nor did I anticipate it happening during the rally,” Pavlenishvili explained.