The Minister of Culture of Georgia, Tea Tsulukiani, has dismissed Lasha Bkaradze from his position as director of the State Museum of Georgian Literature named after Giorgi Leonidze. The Ministry cites Bkaradze's "discrediting" of the museum as the reason for his dismissal.
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The Ministry of Culture has initiated disciplinary proceedings against Lasha Bakradze following his comments at the Unity - National Movement event, where he described members of the ruling party as having ‘worn-out faces’. Bakradze later issued an apology.
"After reviewing the facts and circumstances and analyzing the information, it has been confirmed that Lasha Bakradze committed a disciplinary offense, which involves neglect or violation of moral and ethical norms, general rules of behavior, unethical conduct, or other actions that discredit the institution, whether committed on or off the job. Based on this conclusion, Lasha Bakradze, Director of the State Museum of Georgian Literature, has been removed from his position.
The conclusion indicates that Bakradze's September 3 statement damages his reputation as the museum's director and undermines the authority of the museum, named after Giorgi Leonidze, which is dedicated to protecting Georgian cultural interests.
Bakradze's statement insults the dignity of the individuals addressed in his remarks and any female representative, going beyond the bounds of freedom of expression. This statement is deemed discriminatory and is not an isolated incident,
as Bakradze has previously made unacceptable sexist comments during professional discussions.
On September 5, Bakradze visited the Ministry of Culture and Sports and noted in an explanatory document that he had used the "wrong word." During this visit, it was revealed that Bakradze had submitted a request to the museum director (himself) on September 4, issuing order N50, which placed himself on vacation until October 5. Consequently, according to today's order, Bakradze will no longer hold the position of director as of October 6," stated the Ministry of Culture.
Bakradze, who joined the Unity - National Movement in July, remarked on September 3 at a pre-election event: "The choice is very easy to make, especially when you consider the kind of women standing next to us. Today you saw Ms. Tina, Tamar, Sofo. Here, we present such individuals, not, sorry, those 'worn-out faces' that the representatives of Georgian Dream' have." Following criticism, Bakradze clarified that his comment was not sexist and referred to "faded faces." "If someone misunderstood what I said or interpreted it in a way I did not intend, I apologize. I used the wrong word and should have explained the context better," Bakradze wrote on social media. He has served as the director of the State Museum of Literature since 2010.
