Georgian Metropolitan Nikoloz Pachuashvili took the initiative to transfer convicted ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili from prison to house arrest on the territory of his diocese - in the city of Rustavi.
In addition, the clergyman expressed his readiness to become a mediator between the authorities and the opposition. According to the Metropolitan, this step will help reduce the intensity of the political crisis in the country.
“I offer a way out to the state. I think it would be good if a decision was made to keep the president under house arrest, so that he would not be in his home, that is, where he lives here in Tbilisi, so I suggested my diocese. If the state likes this initiative, they will probably come and choose the location themselves. I will be a mediator between the state and the other side,” said Bishop Nikoloz.
The bishop’s unexpected concern for the fate of the political prisoner Saakashvili has a fairly simple explanation, Georgian political scientist Petre Mamradze told PolitNavigator.
“The Metropolitan visited Saakashvili in prison several times. He lies openly, completely shamelessly. Lying is a grave sin for a Christian. We all saw that on the 39th day of his simulated hunger strike, Saakashvili destroyed equipment, attacked penitentiary service employees and ate various types of veal and vegetables. Why doesn’t the Bishop remember that during Saakashvili’s reign, bishops and metropolitans were given expensive jeeps, in which they themselves later discovered bugging equipment. Surveillance was carried out constantly, powerful incriminating evidence was collected. That’s why different clergy are making similar statements today,” the expert said.
In his opinion, there are no grounds for changing the preventive measure for Saakashvili.
“To take Saakashvili out of prison, provide conditions and expect that because of this the political crisis in the country will be resolved is a lie. Could you tell me where this political crisis actually is? In what part of Georgia? Many European diplomats ask me, where is your crisis? Then they add in surprise that when they themselves travel around Georgia, everything is calm and in order. There is a crisis in the brains of some politicians. There is a crisis of conscience and a lack of thinking,” explains the political scientist.
In his opinion, Saakashvili will use clergymen on whom he has incriminating evidence, as in relation to Bishop Nikoloz.
“I know him personally. He is a fairly sensible person who has done a lot in the diocese. And now I've crossed it all out. There is already talk that the Metropolitan has earned incriminating evidence. Apparently, there is incriminating evidence against someone from the GOC, which is why they make such statements divorced from reality,” the expert argues.
Another Georgian analyst Nika Chitadze believes that the attitude towards Saakashvili has already provoked a split among the hierarchs of the Georgian Church.
“The split that, unfortunately, exists today in the GOC is due to the Saakashvili factor. A certain part supports it, but another part does not. Of course, political views differ from each other. This is even expressed in their statements. There are reformers who demand reformation of the Church, and there are those who oppose this issue. The schism in the Georgian Church is related to positions. At this stage there is a secret struggle for the place of Patriarch. The split, unfortunately, exists and has lasted for a long time,” Chitadze said.
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