Partskhaladze Responds to US State Department Sanctions, Says It's an Orchestrated Discrediting Campaign
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, September 18, 2023
Sanctions have been imposed by the United States against over 150 individuals and legal entities in response to Russia's unlawful conflict in Ukraine. Notably, Otar Partskhaladze, the former chief prosecutor of Georgia, is among those subjected to these sanctions. Following a statement issued by the US State Department concerning Otar Partskhaladze, the State Security Service of Georgia has initiated an inquiry into the case, and Partskhaladze has released a written response to the allegations against him.
According to Partskhaladze, "The sanctions imposed against him are inspired by specific people and represent the culmination of this ten-year discrediting campaign." He further pointed out that despite not having held a state position in almost a decade, the United National Movement and 'propagandist media' have continuously tarnished his reputation and deliberately sought to discredit him throughout this entire period.
"That is why I believe that the sanctions imposed against me are inspired by specific people and represent the culmination of this ten-year discrediting campaign. On the other hand, the reactions of individuals with specific political interests at the local level have convinced me that they are actively trying to link my name with state institutions or authorities, which, I emphasize once again, has no basis. I am confident that the Georgian public best understands the motives behind these efforts.
Anyone who has read the statement from the US State Department clearly saw that the decision was made solely based on assumptions, as the authors themselves confirm in the published text:
"FSB officer Onishchenko allegedly assisted his accomplice Partskhaladze in obtaining a Russian passport and potentially Russian citizenship."
'According to the spread information, Partskhaladze received personal benefits as a result of the connection with the FSB.'
"To be certain of this, only these two excerpts quoted verbatim from the text are sufficient. That's why, naturally, I will demand from the State Department, as well as from the authors of the orchestrated campaign against me and the individuals involved in it, at least one piece of evidence or one fact that would even minimally support the false accusations presented in the statement. However, I can assure the public that such evidence simply does not exist," Partskhaladze's statement reads.
He concluded by stating that he would utilize all the legal and legitimate avenues available to him to demonstrate that the decision to impose 'unfair' sanctions against him is not founded on facts but rather on a 'slanderous' campaign orchestrated by entities with specific interests.
