Givi Targamadze, a senior lawmaker from the ruling National Movement Party, said Public Defender Sozar Subari was acting like an opposition politician, instead of performing his duties.

MP Targamadze made the remarks in response to Subari’s long and tough-worded statement in which he accused President Saakashvili’s administration of authoritarianism, which he said had led to the August war disaster for Georgia.

“It is regrettable that the public defender has turned into a part of the political opposition,” Targamadze said on September 26.

“It is also regrettable that he spends his time on things like that [referring to Subari’s statement], instead of performing his immediate duties,” Targamadze added.

The response is not the first time ruling party figures have accused Subari of acting like “an opposition politician.” His critical remarks over various issues in the past have drawn similar reaction.

“When they [referring to opponents] ask whether I am doing my job or not – they should remember that I have submitted to the Parliament a 1,400 page report [on the human rights record in Georgia] and what was their response?” Subari said late on September 26 on Tbilisi-based Kavkasia TV’s daily talk-show.

Subari was referring to a report delivered to Parliament in July 2008. Ruling party lawmakers attacked Subari after the report, accusing him of “political bias” and “incompetence,” which they said had led “to a discrediting” of the Ombudsman’s Office.