Court questions ex-Parliament Speaker about May 26 protest

Nino Burjanadze, the Leader of Democratic Movement party and Ex-Speaker of Parliament has slammed the former government for using excessive force against protesters when she was questioned in court about the protest rally on May 26, 2011.

Burjanadze was called as a witness today in the ongoing investigation and court case of Vano Merabishvili, Georgia’s former Minister of Internal Affairs, regarding methods used by the former government to disperse the opposition rally.

Merabishvili has been charged, among other things, with abuse of official power in breaking up the rally. He denied the charge and said the dispersal of the May 26 demonstrators was carried out within the boundaries of international norms and practice.

However on the witness stand, Burjanadze argued against this and said Merabishvili and his government "deliberately” used excessive force in order "to intimidate, punish and to physically and psychologically pressure” the rally participants.

"The police did not open the corridors for the demonstrators and there was no responsibility for the organization of Georgia’s Independence Parade on Rustaveli Avenue. A further example of this was in 2009 when the Independence Day Parade was not held on Rustaveli because the place was occupied by demonstrators and again in 2012 when it was held in Kutaisi,” Burjanadze said.

Citing the court summary, she also denied the death of a policeman by her escort car.

The former Parliament Speaker used her public appearances at court hearings for making political speeches. She said Georgia’s former Interior Minister, former President Mikheil Saakashvili and other ex-officials should also be accused of involvement in the May 26 case too.

"I believe that in all charges that we talked about today, the main criminal is ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili and expect that I will be summoned as a witness for questioning during his trial. If the current Government will not charge him, it will be done by another government,” Burjanadze said.

I addition, Burjanadze accused Saakashvili of developing the Russia-Georgia War in August 2008.

On the witness stand, Burjanadze was asked about her controversial visit to Moscow in March 2010. The ex-Speaker responded that she had visited Russia by her "own initiative” to see if she could promise the Georgian people that she would settle issues with and cooperate with Russia and the breakaway regions of Georgia.

"It was my initiative to visit Moscow for a series of meetings with Russian officials in the latest effort to normalize relations between the two countries. As I had planned to continue my political career and would have liked to assume opportunities on how to resolve the breakaway regions problems including Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” she said in court.

Burjanadze was a key ally of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili during the 2003 Rose Revolution and served as Chairperson of the Parliament of Georgia from November 2001 to June 2008. She has served as the acting head of state of Georgia twice.

She joined the opposition as the leader of the Democratic Movement-United Georgia party in 2008.