“I want to address Uta Ivanishvili: if you want to discuss this matter with me, call me, and I will speak with you personally,” said Kote Ioseliani, a former member of the “National Movement,” addressing Uta Ivanishvili, the son of “Georgian Dream’s” honorary chairman, Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Regarding his statement about being abducted, which he claims was organized by special services, Ioseliani said he has zero trust in the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

“I want to thank everyone who expressed solidarity with my family. This was a classic abduction in every sense, carried out near my home, clearly involving violence. Several people were involved. At first, I thought it was an attack and continuation of violence near my home, but after being forced into a car and having something like a blindfold placed over my eyes, I realized what was happening. They took me not too far away, I assume somewhere in the Saburtalo area. Then there was a demand, which I complied with. It’s not as if I made some moral or principled compromise; apologizing a second time didn’t seem like a big deal to me. This is a politically motivated act, which will have and already has political consequences. I have no idea who planned it or why, or what the purpose was, especially since I had already sincerely apologized.

I want to address Uta Ivanishvili: if you want to discuss this matter with me, call me, and I will speak with you personally.

This was a well-planned special operation led by special services, which have the means to intercept communications, conduct surveillance, and facilitate groups I had been in contact with to carry out their tasks freely.

Several calls were made, and then I agreed to a sort of communication. They themselves got scared that the situation might escalate and had me send a voice message saying everything was fine and that I would return home soon. After that, Tina received information that I was alive.

I have zero trust in the MIA; I believe it is not an institution that ensures people’s safety. I had no motivation to come here because this process, which is underway, will be a formality required by law. I have no expectations that they will conduct a real investigation. I do not trust the MIA and do not recognize it as an institution that protects this country’s citizens.

None of the individuals were identifiable; they were all wearing masks,” Kote Ioseliani stated.

For reference, a few days ago, Kote Ioseliani released a video apologizing to Bidzina Ivanishvili’s son, Uta Ivanishvili, for statements made about him years ago. The day after the video was published, Ioseliani’s wife, Tina Bokuchava, chair of “Unity – National Movement,” stated that five masked individuals ambushed her husband near their residential building, attacked him, and abducted him. According to her, the abductors subjected her husband to eight hours of pressure and threatened the safety of their children.