Ukraine Calls on Georgia to Stop Torturing Saakashvili and Hand Him Over to Kyiv

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has officially called on Georgian authorities to stop torturing and abusing Mikheil Saakashvili and hand him over to Kyiv.

 “In the worst traditions of the NKVD of the USSR, the Georgian authorities are using psychological and physical violence against Mikheil Saakashvili, denying him urgently needed medical care, deliberately creating a direct threat to his life. The gross violation of human rights against a Ukrainian citizen does not coincide with the declared course of Tbilisi to join the EU, indicating the collapse of democracy in Georgia,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

 The Foreign Ministry also called on foreign governments and international organizations to publicly stand up for Saakashvili.

 Georgian authorities imprisoned Saakashvili in 2021 for six years on charges of abusing power while president from 2008 to 2013 – charges that he insists are politically motivated.

 He was active in Ukrainian politics during the Poroshenko years, granted citizenship, and even appointed governor of the Odesa Region in 2015.

 After a falling out with then President Petro Poroshenko, Saakashvili was stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship in 2017, only to have it reinstated by President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2019.

 Earlier, members of Saakashvili’s family and representatives of the opposition United National Movement party reported that Saakashvili was being transferred to the intensive care unit due to his critical health condition. Later, the director of the Viamed clinic, where the politician is undergoing treatment, denied this information.

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Georgians Сall For Ex-Leader's Release on Revolution Anniversary

Mikheil Saakashvili spearheaded the Rose Revolution in 2003 and led the nation for nine years before going into exile. After his return, he was arrested on "abuse of power charges."

 Zelensky believes that the Georgian authorities intend to kill former Georgian President Saakashvili. On Wednesday, Feb. 1, at a press conference with his Austrian counterpart, Ukraine’s President showed photos of Saakashvili and accused the Georgian authorities of publicly torturing him.

 “Mikheil Saakashvili was once the President of Georgia,” Zelensky said, publicly presenting the photo. “I think that today the Georgian government is killing him. You know that they poisoned him, and now, excuse me, they are gradually killing him,” he stressed.

 Mikheil Saakashvili, the jailed former president of Georgia, appeared in court via video link on Wednesday, Feb.1, as the lawyers requested his release due to his deteriorating health. He showed how much weight he had lost while incarcerated.