Georgia’s Vice Speaker calls opposition leader’s claims of threats against husband ‘fairy tale’

Gia Volski, a senior figure in the ruling Georgian Dream party and First Vice-Speaker of Parliament, has dismissed claims by opposition leader Tina Bokuchava that her husband was threatened and coerced into making a public apology. Volski referred to the allegations as a “bad fairy tale” and accused the opposition of staging what he described as a “skillless spectacle.”

The comments come a day after Bokuchava, chair of the opposition United National Movement (UNM), alleged that her husband, Kote Ioseliani, had been kidnapped and pressured into apologizing to Uta Ivanishvili, son of Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili. In a video statement circulated online on Sunday, Ioseliani expressed regret for comments he made in 2018 that questioned Uta Ivanishvili’s sexual orientation.

“I sincerely apologize to Uta for this, because it was a lie and I have never heard anything about his orientation,” Ioseliani said in the video. “Certain circumstances arose, based on which I was forced to say all this in this way.”

The apology came years after Ioseliani, formerly a member of the UNM’s political council, implied a romantic relationship between Uta Ivanishvili and a prominent public figure - remarks he then said was based on baseless rumours.

Bokuchava on Monday claimed during a press briefing that her husband had been detained for several hours under duress and that the video apology was the result of threats and psychological pressure.

In response, Volski accused the opposition of attempting to discredit the country’s security services. “What Tina Bokuchava is saying, of course, should be called a fairy tale, and a bad fairy tale at that,” he said. “It’s an inept performance, full of malice, and reminiscent of the tactics the United National Movement used during its time in power.”

Volski further accused Bokuchava of targeting the newly appointed Interior Minister and launching personal attacks on state institutions, calling the incident part of a broader effort to undermine public trust.