Zourabichvili Condemns Tsulukiani's Remarks on War Hero Antsukhelidze; Kobakhidze Defends
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, April 14, 2025
Fifth President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, has sharply criticized Georgian Dream MP Tea Tsulukiani over her recent comments regarding Giorgi Antsukhelidze, a national hero of the 2008 August War. In a social media post, Zourabichvili condemned Tsulukiani's remarks, calling them not only immoral but potentially treasonous.
"When you publicly declare a national hero 'senselessly doomed', isn't this a crime before the law and the constitution? And tantamount to treason? Not to mention morality, conscience, patriotism, or the elementary human respect that we all owe to Antsukhelidze's children," Zourabichvili wrote.
The controversy began after Tsulukiani, speaking on Georgian Public Broadcaster, questioned the hero's death, implying it was politically motivated under the Saakashvili administration:
"To put it simply, why is Giorgi Antsukhelidze not at home today? I have the right to ask this question along with my comrades. Who should forbid me from asking this question? No one. We are asking this question. Every child needs their parents to be at home and not pointlessly doomed for someone's PR, in this case I mean Saakashvili."
Her comments sparked public backlash, as Antsukhelidze is widely honored in Georgia as a symbol of courage, remembered for enduring torture at the hands of Russian forces during the 2008 war.
Amid the criticism, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze defended Tsulukiani, describing her words as factual and grounded in Georgia's political reality. He claimed that the war could have been avoided altogether, placing blame on the previous government led by Mikheil Saakashvili.
"When Tea Tsulukiani speaks about the fact that this war could have been avoided for the country and that it was possible for our heroes to be alive and take care of their families, this is simply a statement of fact. If it were not for the order that Saakashvili's regime received and carried out, there would have naturally been neither war nor victims," Kobakhidze stated.
The Prime Minister also dismissed the protests that took place outside Tsulukiani's residence as acts of "liberal fascism" and claimed they reflected the desperation of the opposition.
"This is another manifestation of liberal fascism. Such actions are doomed to failure," he said, defending Tsulukiani as an effective chair of the parliamentary investigative commission and suggesting that her success had provoked political opponents.
Kobakhidze reiterated the ruling party's position that the 2008 war was triggered by the Saakashvili government, and stood by Tsulukiani's remarks, calling them "absolutely clear and obvious."
