Georgian Dream MP Tea Tsulukiani sues TV Host Nanuka Zhorzholiani for defamation

Tea Tsulukiani, a member of parliament from the ruling Georgian Dream party and a former Minister of Justice and Culture, has filed a defamation lawsuit against television host Nanuka Zhorzholiani. Tsulukiani’s mother, brother, and nephew have joined her as co-plaintiffs in the case.

The lawsuit concerns a Facebook post by Zhorzholiani in which she listed individuals allegedly executed under the orders of Tsulukiani’s late father, Avtandil Tsulukiani, who served as a prosecutor and judge during the Soviet period. Tea Tsulukiani claims the information is false and damaging to her family’s reputation.

“She published a list of 20 names under the title: ‘People Executed by Tsulukiani’s Father.’ I won’t share that list here, because many of those named were convicted of extremely serious crimes, including premeditated murder and corpse dismemberment. But more importantly, we have submitted proof that at least 15 of them are still alive,” Tsulukiani wrote in a lengthy Facebook post.

She further stated that at least one person on the list died after her father had already passed away, and some died after Georgia had abolished the death penalty. “One person couldn’t even be identified at all,” she added.

In her post, Tsulukiani referred to Zhorzholiani using a series of diminutive and mocking versions of her name, accusing her of spreading disinformation at the behest of the opposition United National Movement (UNM) and its allies. She also disparaged former President Mikheil Saakashvili and suggested that female UNM MPs had been systematically reviving false narratives about her father.

“We are done letting this slide. Got it, Nanuka?” Tsulukiani wrote, vowing to pursue the matter in court.

Avtandil Tsulukiani retired from public service in 2000 and passed away in 2020 at the age of 77. He held positions as a prosecutor and judge during his career.