Vice Speaker Tsilosani criticizes individuals over support for ex-Minister Akhalaia

Georgian Parliament Vice Speaker Nino Tsilosani has publicly criticized statements made by Ani Nadareishvili, wife of former Interior Minister Bacho Akhalaia, and Tea Adeishvili, journalist at TV Pirveli, accusing them of revealing “the distorted face of Georgian society” and “the true nature of the protest movement.”

In a post on social media, Tsilosani wrote “when Ani Nadareishvili boldly declares how proud she is to be Bacho Akhalaia’s wife, and Tea Adeishvili - TV Pirveli’s party mouthpiece - protests against portraying Akhalaia as a villain, this reveals the ugly reality of our society and the true nature of these protest rallies.”

Tsilosani further stated that “Akhalaia’s cases light the way for the Rustaveli sect and their foreign patrons.”

Akhalaia, a former senior official in the government of President Mikheil Saakashvili, served as Minister of Defence from 2009 to 2012 and briefly as Minister of Internal Affairs in 2012. He was later convicted on multiple counts of torture and abuse of power related to incidents during his tenure in the penitentiary and defence systems.

Akhalaia was sentenced to a total of nine years in prison in 2018 in connection with the death of Colonel Sergo Tetradze and was released in March 2022 after completing his sentence.