Instrumentalizing Tagliavini Report, GD Blames UNM for 2008 War, Calls for Trial

The Georgian Dream Political Council made a statement on August 13 framing the 2008 war as a culmination of the repeated efforts of the United National Movement (UNM) administration, backed by its Western patrons, to “bring Russian troops to Georgia.” The statement says that having failed to provoke Russia earlier, “Saakashvili and his patrons realized that much more aggressive and large-scale actions were needed to achieve the goal” and that Saakashvili’s “adventurist actions in August 2008” were the “result of a well-planned betrayal on orders from the outside [the country].”

The statement fits the context of the GD election campaign, which portrays its opponents (“the collective UNM”) as a “party of war” backed by the global conspiracy (“Global Party of War”), while the vote for GD is presented as a choice for peace.

The statement was prompted, as GD implies, by the interview with former Swiss diplomat Heidi Tagliavini, published by the Georgian service of Radio Liberty. Tagliavini coordinated the EU-mandated commission (Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Conflict in Georgia) that investigated the 2008 war and published the report, which has been quoted by both Tbilisi and Moscow to support their own version of events related to the August war.

The GD statement largely quotes the elements of the report that were previously amplified by the Kremlin while overlooking the parts that implicate Russia in the preparations for war and the eventual aggression.

Accusing the RFE/RL’s Georgian service and its journalist of “political bias in favor of the “collective UNM” and for “trying to solicit a new, different position [from Tagliavini] on the August war, that would soften the harshest conclusions written years ago” GD notes that “this attempt failed.” It then adds: “It turned out that Tagliavini’s position has not changed even after years, and she nullified, with reasoned arguments, all attempts of the journalist to somehow justify the treasonous actions committed by the “National Movement.”

The statement says that “Tagliavini’s report is tantamount to a verdict for the UNM” and proceeds to frame both the interview and Tagliavini’s report in a way that differs from the official Georgian account of the events.

Conspicuously, while the GD statement refers to the conflict as a “war” when quoting the Tagliavini report or taking about UNM/Saakashvili actions, it uses the terms “military operation,” “military response operation,” or “incursion” when specifically describing Russian actions in August 2008.

The statement builds a narrative sequence in which Saakashvili’s administration conducted “four years of incessant provocations,” which were left without response by Russia, forcing “Saakashvili and his [foreign] patrons” into “much more aggressive and large-scale actions.” The statement proceeds: “According to Tagliavini’s conclusion, Saakashvili’s government created such a moment on August 7, 2008, when, as a result of the artillery attack on Tskhinvali, Russia was free to act, and Russian troops entered Georgia.”

GD then says that Saakashvili was not acting out of his “lack of mental balance” in August 2008, but that his “adventurist actions were the “result of a well-planned treason ordered from the outside [of the country].” Even though the Tagliavini report says nothing about this, this statement refers directly to the “Global War Party conspiracy,” which is being peddled by the GD.

The statement blames UNM not only for the treasonous actions but also for “agreeing to the report”—even though some provisions of the report were officially contested by the government at the time and some officials also challenged the credibility of the particular legal experts. The statement says that by “agreeing to the report” and the PACE resolution concerning the war, the former authorities “admitted Georgia started the war” and “committed treason before their own country and people.”

GD states: “We believe that under these conditions, the legal underestimation of the crime committed by the collective “[United ]National Movement” is tantamount to a crime. Today, when the trials in The Hague [International Criminal Court] and Strasbourg [European Court of Human Rights] are over, there is no time for dropping hints. The time has come to bring the criminals to justice with all the rigor of the Constitution and the law.”

The statement ends with the asserting: “It is essential that a public trial be held and that the public learn once and for all who committed the heinous treasonous crime against our country and people.”

Also Read:

• 08/08/2024 – Government Officials Slam UNM as They Mark 16th Anniversary of 2008 War
• 07/08/2024 – Ruling Party Accuses UNM of Treason in 2008 War, Threatens Legal Consequences After Elections

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