Opposition leader Gakharia accuses Parliamentary commission of waging ‘hybrid war’ amid investigative inquiry

Former Prime Minister and current opposition leader Giorgi Gakharia made a surprise appearance before a parliamentary investigative commission on Monday, criticizing its legitimacy and accusing the ruling party of weaponizing the inquiry for political purposes.

Gakharia, who now leads the opposition party Gakharia – For Georgia, appeared before the commission established by the ruling Georgian Dream party to investigate alleged crimes committed by the previous United National Movement (UNM) government between 2003-2012 and, more recently, controversial incidents under successive administrations. The commission’s remit was expanded in late March to include the June 2019 protests, known as “Gavrilov Night,” during which Gakharia served as Minister of Internal Affairs.

“I wasn’t planning to come here today,” Gakharia told the commission. “I don’t understand the mandate or context of this body. What I see is an effort to wage a hybrid war – informational and psychological – against your own citizens, similar to what was done in the case of our national hero Giorgi Antsukhelidze.”

Gakharia’s comments referenced recent remarks by commission chair and former Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani, who questioned the circumstances of Antsukhelidze’s death in the 2008 Russia–Georgia war during a televised interview. Her comments, which implied “political exploitation of the tragedy” by former President Mikheil Saakashvili, have sparked controversy in recent days.

Despite expressing skepticism over the commission’s purpose, Gakharia said he felt “obliged” to attend and clarify his role in the events. “This does not mean I recognize this commission. If we did, our party would have formal representation here,” he said.

The session focused heavily on the June 19–20, 2019 protests, during which police violently dispersed demonstrators gathered outside Parliament. The crackdown left dozens injured, including journalists and two protesters who lost their eyesight after being struck by rubber bullets.

Gakharia confirmed he had personally authorized the use of tear gas and water cannons but firmly denied giving any order to deploy rubber bullets. “Neither I nor my deputies gave the order to use other special means,” he said, echoing earlier testimony provided to prosecutors.
When pressed by Tsulukiani on who might have issued the order, Gakharia repeatedly responded, “I do not know.”

The investigative commission, launched on February 5, was initially tasked with reviewing alleged abuses under the UNM government. However, on March 27, Georgian Dream parliamentary leader Mamuka Mdinaradze announced that its scope would be extended to include subsequent administrations, including Gakharia’s own time in office.

Addressing further inquiries into the 2021 arrest of then-UNM chairman Nika Melia – an incident that led to his resignation as Prime Minister – Gakharia suggested that decisions both in 2019 and 2021 may have been influenced by a powerful figure behind the scenes.

Without naming him directly, Gakharia referred to Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder and honorary chairman of Georgian Dream, as an “invisible man.”

“I have a well-founded and reasonable suspicion that something similar may have happened on June 20, 2019,” he said.

The 2019 unrest was triggered when Russian MP Sergei Gavrilov was seen occupying the Georgian Parliament Speaker’s chair, provoking public outrage and mass protests. While Gakharia acknowledged this as a “mistake,” he claimed that the government’s response bore striking similarities to the handling of Melia’s arrest two years later.

“You, the majority, supported the position that it would have been a mistake to detain Melia in that manner and on that night,” he told the commission. “But then, within one hour, everyone changed their minds. I believe the ‘invisible man’ intervened.”

Melia’s 2021 arrest, carried out during a police raid on party headquarters, followed a court ruling linked to his role in the 2019 protests. Gakharia resigned ahead of the arrest, citing concerns that it would escalate political tensions.

Concluding his remarks, Gakharia emphasized the consistency of his testimony regarding the June 2019 events and expressed hope that commission members had thoroughly reviewed interrogation records in preparation for the session.