 |
Igor GiorgaqdzeGeorgian politician
Country:
 Georgia |
Content:
Biography of Igor Giorgadze
Igor Pantaleimonovich Giorgadze, a Georgian opposition politician, is the leader of the "Justice Party" and the chairman of the All-Georgian Patriotic Alliance "Motherland." He is also a former Minister of State Security of Georgia. In 1995, he was accused of attempting to assassinate Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze, but subsequent court proceedings did not confirm his involvement. In 2004, the new Georgian authorities led by Mikhail Saakashvili accused Giorgadze of treason. He is a retired lieutenant general and an honorary employee of the KGB of the USSR.
Early Life and Career
Igor Pantaleimonovich Giorgadze was born in 1950 in Zaysan, a Kazakh city on the Soviet-Chinese border. His father, Panteleimon Giorgadze, was a Soviet border guard general and the leader of the Unified Communist Party of Georgia since 1992. In 1968, Giorgadze enrolled in the Higher School of the KGB, and in 1973, he graduated with a qualification as a lawyer-legal expert with knowledge of foreign languages. From 1973 to 1991, Giorgadze held various positions in the KGB of the Georgian SSR. In 1980-1981, he participated in combat operations as part of the KGB USSR special forces unit "Cascade" in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Political Career
During the confrontation between the first Georgian President Zviad Gamsakhurdia and Eduard Shevardnadze, Giorgadze sided with the latter in 1992-1993. In October 1993, he was appointed Minister of State Security of Georgia. According to some media reports, his subordinates gave Giorgadze the nickname "Commander." On August 25, 1995, after an assassination attempt on Shevardnadze by unknown individuals, Giorgadze was removed from his position and left Georgia. On December 1, 1995, he was accused of organizing the August assassination attempt and was declared wanted through Interpol. The Georgian authorities declared Giorgadze as "terrorist No. 1" through the media. From 1997 to 1998, a trial took place in Tbilisi regarding the assassination attempt, but Giorgadze's involvement in the events of August 1995 was not proven. According to several media reports, Giorgadze illegally stayed in Syria during the trial. Since 1998, Giorgadze has been permanently residing in Moscow.
In July 2001, the All-Georgian Patriotic Alliance "Motherland" was registered in Tbilisi, with Giorgadze elected as its chairman. The alliance united nine parties and public movements. Since 2003, Giorgadze has been the leader of the "Justice Party." In 2004, Giorgadze openly opposed the new Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and his team, accusing them of usurping power. In response, the Georgian authorities accused Giorgadze of treason and demanded his extradition from Moscow.
Personal Life
Giorgadze holds the military rank of lieutenant general in retirement and is an honorary employee of the KGB of the USSR. He is fluent in Georgian, Russian, Turkish, French, Serbo-Croatian, and Azerbaijani languages. Giorgadze is married and has a son and a daughter.
