Ruling party MP Gorduladze accuses UNM of deflecting responsibility for its past actions

Georgian Parliament Legal Affairs Committee Chairman Archil Gorduladze has accused the United National Movement (UNM) of attempting to shift responsibility for crimes committed under its previous rule onto others, including Georgian Dream honorary chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Gorduladze was commenting on a performance held by UNM leader Anna Tsitlidze near Ivanishvili’s residence. Tsitlidze has recently continued to publicly criticise Ivanishvili and the ruling Georgian Dream party.

“The United National Movement generally has a habit of blaming others for its crimes, especially a person who is a man of the nation and the founder of our party, whose main ideology - and consequently that of our party - is the unwavering protection of human rights,” Gorduladze said.

He suggested that Tsitlidze could instead hold demonstrations outside the homes of former officials Megis Kardava and the Akhalaia brothers, whom he described as representatives of the UNM-era government.

Gorduladze also referred to a previous statement by Ivanishvili that the Georgian Dream should not treat the UNM as its members “deserve”, but rather as the Georgian people deserve.

He accused what he called the “collective UNM” of behaving like a political “vulture”, saying the opposition party was seeking to satisfy its political aims “with the blood of others.”