Why didn’t Zaza Gogava evacuate the civilians, did someone order him to do it? – I think he was ordered to do it, Saakashvili’s goal was not to evacuate civilians from there because then he would not be able to stand at the podium and say, “Look, people, look at how evil Russia is, as if we need to explain who Russia is,” Tea Tsulukiani, the chairwoman of the temporary investigative commission of the parliament, said on the Public Broadcaster.
She claimed that Zaza Gogava could not dispel doubts at the commission’s session.
“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. We are asking the question, if it turns out that this was the case, we will, of course, say that these people are heroes.
The head of the Joint Staff spoke so loudly at the commission session, one would think he is a general who won the war, but actually he could not answer the question, why didn’t he evacuate civilians, did someone order him to do it? – I think he was ordered to do it, it was not Saakashvili’s goal t to evacuate civilians from there because then he would not be able to stand at the podium and say, “Look, people, look at how evil Russia is, as if we need to explain who Russia is. I suspect that Saakashvili needed this for this. That’s why we are asking these questions, maybe these questions will be nullified. But General Zaza Gogava could not nullify this. He said that he was not able to evacuate the population. He did not actually have a plan,” Tsulukiani said.”
Tsulukiani’s statement caused a protest from citizens. The protest began at night near the parliament. “Antsukhelidze is immortal” – citizens took to the streets with these banners. They claim that Tsulukiani insulted the national hero with this statement.
Giorgi Antsukhelidze was a young Georgian soldier who became a national hero and a symbol of sacrifice and courage during the 2008 August War between Georgia and Russia.
Giorgi Antsukhelidze was captured by separatist and Russian forces during the fighting in South Ossetia. After his capture, he was brutally tortured and executed, and the video of his torture was later leaked online, shocking the entire country. In the footage, Antsukhelidze refuses to betray his comrades or cooperate with his captors, displaying extraordinary bravery and silence despite inhumane treatment.
In 2013, he was posthumously awarded the Order of National Hero of Georgia, the highest honorary title in the country.
Giorgi Antsukhelidze is remembered as a symbol of patriotism, resilience, and loyalty to Georgia.
