Ruling Party MP Says Okruashvili is a ‘Political Prisoner’
Guguli Magradze, a lawmaker from the ruling National Movement Party, has broken ranks with her party, describing ex-Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili as “a political prisoner.”
“I am far from claiming that Okruashvili is innocent; in any case it is up to the courts to decide,” she told an Imedi TV late night talk show on October 2. “But I am not naive enough to believe that he was arrested just because of his wrongdoings.”
She said the authorities could have taken action against Okruashvili long before he politically challenged them.
Although Magradze emphasised President Saakashvili’s “huge efforts” in promoting internationally Georgia’s image as a democracy, she said unnamed people in his administration were undermining those efforts.
Magradze, a professor at Tbilisi State University, had until recently maintained a low political profile. Of late, however, she has spoken out about the need for more transparency and a dialogue between the authorities and those with dissenting opinions. During the summer it was suggested that Magradze was about to form a new “pro-presidential” faction within the parliament.
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