Beselia resigns from her party

"A difference of views with Irakli Okruashvili, the founder of the Movement for United Georgia, over political prisoners and a free court have prompted me to resign as Secretary General and Chair of this party," Eka Beselia said on February 23. “The public campaign to release political prisoners and achieve an independent judiciary needs my active participation and this is more important to me nowadays. I will definitely remain an opponent of the Government and cooperate with all political parties in future,” Eka Beselia told the media at a special briefing, adding that she would work with various opposition parties but not join any of them.

Eka Beselia, a lawyer who has been Chair and Secretary General of the Movement for United Georgia for more than two years, has been intensively involved in opposition activities. At the briefing she told the media that she will not stay away from politics and will be actively involved in the election campaign on behalf of the newly established movement Solidarity with Political Prisoners. “There are around 50 NGOs and public figures involved in this newly established public campaign. I consider the defence of human rights the most important priority for Georgia in the current political climate,” Beselia said.

Beselia said that the opposition have helped develop the Georgian political system in many positive ways. She also expressed her content with her own political activities and added that any decision taken by the Movement for United Georgia has been right and reasonable. She also denied rumours that she has fallen out with Teo Tlashadze, another member of the Movement for United Georgia, saying that her decision has not been caused by any contradiction within the Movement. She said she had taken the decision to leave the party independently, but had let everyone in the party know she was leaving.

The Messenger asked members of the Movement for United Georgia to comment on Beselia's decision. “The Movement for United Georgia will continue to actively participate in the political process. A party meeting will discuss possible candidates for both the Secretary General and Chair posts in the near future,” said Teo Tlashadze, who also denied there had been any disagreement within the Movement. “It was Eka’s decision and I fully respect it. We knew that she was going to leave and run her newly established social movement. Eka will continue to fight against this unjust Government with all the NGO’s around her,” Irakli Dolaberidze told us.