Ruling party leader links reports of alleged torture of Ukrainian soldiers to ex-Pres Saakashvili gov’t officials

Irakli Kirtskhalia, chairman of the Georgian Dream parliamentary faction, has linked reports of Ukrainian soldiers allegedly being tortured near Kyiv to the presence of former members of Georgia’s United National Movement (UNM) in Ukrainian government structures.

Commenting on the reports, Kirtskhalia said the situation in Ukraine was “extremely difficult” and argued that the country’s leadership bore responsibility for developments within its institutions.

He said it was not surprising that allegations of torture had emerged in Ukraine, given that former officials of Mikheil Saakashvili’s government, including individuals he accused of involvement in torture in Georgia, held positions in Ukrainian institutions.

“Why should we be surprised that a soldier or another person is being tortured in a basement somewhere, when former members of the United National Movement hold positions in Ukraine? When representatives of that regime, including [former Prosecutor General] Adeishvili and others, are taken abroad and presented as representatives of the country, why should this surprise us?” Kirtskhalia said.

He also accused the former Georgian government of having practised systematic torture before 2012, claiming that several former officials had subsequently left Georgia but had been convicted by Georgian courts.

Kirtskhalia said he had generally avoided commenting on Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, given that the country was at war. However, he stressed that Ukraine’s governing authorities and officials remained responsible for events taking place within the country.