The deputy director general of Georgian TV company Formula, journalist and former opposition politician, Giorgi Targamadze, has refused to appear before a parliamentary investigative commission created by the ruling Georgian Dream party to investigate alleged crimes under the previous United National Movement Government.
Speaking on the programme Droeba, Targamadze said he had learned from news reports that he was expected to testify on Monday – the anniversary of Georgia’s independence referendum – but declared he would not take part in what he described as a politically motivated process.
“I do not intend to participate in the process of revising decisions taken at national, international, legal, or political levels regarding the 2008 war. I do not want to be involved in a spectacle that serves Moscow and the Tskhinvali separatists while undermining Georgia’s statehood and territorial integrity,” Targamadze said.
The journalist suggested that the summons was an attempt to exert pressure on him personally and on his journalistic work. He challenged the ruling party to discuss the issues directly on television, arguing that the government was violating the constitution, shifting Georgia’s geopolitical orientation, and eroding democratic institutions.
The investigative commission, chaired by former Minister of Culture and Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani, has been tasked with examining the actions of political figures and government officials between 2003 and 2012.
On March 27 and 28, former high-ranking military officials Zaza Gogava and Mamuka Kurashvili, who were involved in the 2008 August War against Russia, testified before the commission. The proceedings have intensified speculation that the commission may seek to place responsibility for the war on Georgia, a position at odds with widespread international assessments of the conflict.
Participation in the commission’s hearings is mandatory, with non-compliance punishable by fines or imprisonment of up to one year. On March 24, the leaders of the opposition coalition Strong Georgia, Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, were summoned for questioning. Khazaradze refused to attend, dismissing the commission as a “circus.” He was subsequently summoned by the prosecutor’s office as a witness and was questioned before a magistrate judge on March 27.
The establishment of the commission has been met with criticism from opposition politicians and civil society groups, who argue that it is an attempt by the ruling party to “rewrite history and silence dissent.”
