He should avoid interference in the internal affairs of the country

The member of the parliamentary majority, Rati Ionatamishvili, replied to the statement made by William Courtney, which stated that “Drug overdose is an accusation that authoritarian regimes use” and posts on Facebook
Ionatamishvili calls on William Courtney to Avoid interference in the internal affairs of the country.

"I want to respond to the disturbing statements of the former US Ambassador to Georgia, William Courtney, regarding the death of Lekso Lashkarava. The former ambassador says that the topic of drug use could have been used for political purposes.

You will agree that the former ambassador has a special responsibility to the country where he served in the past. He has the responsibility to seek all information about that event before making any significant statements about it.

For example, when you learn that a person has died, you must first find out if a friend with a dubious reputation really visited him to take him to Ponichala; Did this friend say that they went to Ponichala to buy drugs; Are there any recordings and audio recordings that prove that a friend tried to "drug" the deceased with a drug overdose? Is there any footage that proves that the deceased returned home under strong narcotic influence; Whether traces of several drugs were found in the body of the deceased; Were there any traces of injection on the body of the deceased, etc.?

When you are not interested in all this and you, the former US ambassador, make an irresponsible statement, it deserves deep concern.

Questioning the findings of law enforcement agencies in a situation where there is no basis for it and when you can verify these findings with state agencies, of which we have had a number of precedents in Georgia, is not justified.

I urge William Courtney to refrain from such interference in the internal affairs of the country and to make statements with greater responsibility in the future," Iotanamishvili wrote.