Vano Merabishvili

Vano Merabishvili. (Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–Former Interior Minister and ally of Mikheil Saakashvil promises to take revenge for every official involved in the detention of former government officials.

“I will personally punish them. I will hold each of them responsible personally.”

Vano Merabishvili, who served as Interior Minister and later as Prime Minister in the previous government, on Friday said on a pretrial hearing in the court that he also promises to announce amnesty for the people on lower positions from current government after National Movement comes back to force.

“I can say they are given amnesty from now on, but every person who participated in illegal arrests of [former head of Tbilisi Special Units Kakha] Nakani, Tengiz Gunava and other officials, will be punished personally by me.”

Merabishvili wants to ‘dedicate’ the rest of his life to everyone who is concerned about his current situation, and he will only come to court to see his friends.

After making this statement, he and Gigi Ugulava, former Mayor of Tbilisi, who also faces charges with him in the same case, left the court room in a sign of protest. Before leaving, Merabishvili said that he doesn’t recognize the court.

“A while ago, I realized that it is impossible to seek justice in this court. It is humiliating for my friends to come here to this ridiculous place.”

Vano Merabishvili and Gigi Ugulava, as well as several other former officials, including Mikheil Saakashvili, are charged with violently dispersing an anti-government rally on November 7, 2007 and later illegally breaking into and shutting down Imedi TV.