Georgian President highlights political accountability over August 2008 war

Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili on Tuesday said the public deserves to know what decisions were taken by the authorities at the time and the consequences that followed, while commenting on the August 2008 war and questions of political accountability.

In his remarks, Kavelashvili said that while Georgian servicemen fought with exceptional bravery and the heroes of Shindisi set a remarkable example of self-sacrifice, the country’s leadership carried a special responsibility toward the state and society.

He added that framing public debate solely around the question of who started the war shifts attention away from the responsibility of the authorities in power at the time.

“They do not want the Georgian people to know what the authorities at the time did or to fully understand what he described as their war crimes. It was precisely their reckless actions, he said, that led to the loss of an additional 120 villages and the deaths of hundreds of people”, the President said.

Kavelashvili concluded by emphasising that, in order to fully assess the tragic consequences of the August 2008 war, the public must be informed both about the circumstances surrounding the conflict and the actions taken by the authorities at the time.