Latest news with #MikhailSaakashvili
Russia Today
09-08-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Georgian PM blames 2008 war with Russia on ‘previous regime'
Former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and his government are responsible for the 2008 war with Russia, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has said. The conflict, waged on behalf of the 'deep state,' inflicted immense damage on the country and its interests, according to the PM. Kobakhidze delivered the remarks on Friday, as Georgia marked the 17th anniversary of the beginning of the hostilities known as the Five-Day War. The prime minister squarely blamed Saakashvili for the conflict, stating that an attack on the breakaway republic of South Ossetia was orchestrated on his direct orders. 'Today we need to remember all the documents signed by the then government, which state that the Saakashvili regime started the war,' Kobakhidze stated. 'There is no escape from these documents, they are irrefutable proof that the then government unleashed the war and dealt a severe blow to the national interests of our country,' he added. Khobakhidze went on to suggest the conflict was instigated by foreign forces. It was a catastrophic gamble by Saakashvili, a treason ordered from outside by the 'deep state.' The hostilities began early on August 8, 2008, when the Georgian military subjected the capital city of the breakaway republic of South Ossetia, Tskhinval, to artillery bombardment and moved in to attack local militias and Russian peacekeepers stationed there. South Ossetia and republic of Abkhazia split from Georgia following a civil war in the early 1990s shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The attack prompted a swift armed response from Russia, with the active phase of hostilities lasting for only five days. The Russian military expelled Tbilisi's forces from South Ossetia, which retreated in disarray while Moscow's troops advanced into Georgian territory through South Ossetia and Abkhazia before a ceasefire was agreed. Shortly afterward, Russia recognized the independence of the two republics, maintaining close ties with them ever since. Kobakhidze ruled out signing any agreements with the two republics on the non-use of force, emphasizing Tbilisi aims to achieve its goals through diplomacy. 'The only way to restore territorial integrity is a peaceful path, and there can be no talk of any such documents,' the PM said.
Associated Press
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Georgia jails top opposition figures as authorities ramp up crackdown
TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgia has jailed four key opposition figures within days as part of a monthslong crackdown on dissent that followed a disputed election last October in the South Caucasus country. Nearly all leaders of Georgia's pro-Western opposition are now behind bars, as protests continue against the ruling Georgian Dream party and its decision last year to halt Georgia's bid to join the European Union. The demonstrators, who gather daily in the capital, Tbilisi, also say that the vote on Oct. 26 that handed Georgian Dream another term in power was not free or fair. On Tuesday, politician Giorgi Vashadze of the Strategy Agmashenebeli party was sentenced to eight months in prison for refusing to testify in an official probe that Georgian Dream's critics call an act of political revenge. The day before, three other opposition figures were handed comparable sentences after refusing to cooperate with the same parliamentary inquiry investigating alleged wrongdoings by the government of ex-President Mikhail Saakashvili. Badri Japaridze and Manuka Khazaradze were both jailed for eight months, while Zurab Japaridze received seven months. Opposition politicians have declined to attend the commission hearings, citing their ongoing boycott of parliament following the Oct. 26. election. Georgian Dream's critics say the vote was rigged with Russia's help to hand it another term in power. They also say the probe is a ploy by the ruling party to damage the opposition, particularly Saakashvili's United National Movement party. Speaking to The Associated Press before he was handcuffed on Tuesday, Vashadze said the commission hearings went 'against the Georgian constitution' because no opposition lawmakers are represented, and that the probe's aim is to persecute the opposition. 'They are afraid of us because we are fighting for our country, and they see that there is big support from Georgian society… That's why I'm under arrest now,' he said. Other prominent government critics remain in pre-trial detention for declining to appear before the commission investigating Saakashvili. They include Nika Melia, a former chairman of Saakashvili's United National Movement party, and Nika Gvaramia, who was a minister in Saakashvili's government. A former defense minister, Irakli Okruashvili, is also in custody. Melia, Gvaramia, and Zurab Japaridze were among the leaders of the opposition grouping, Coalition for Change, that finished second in the October vote, according to official results. Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday denied that their arrests were politically motivated. Meanwhile, anti-government protests continue daily in central Tbilisi. While numbers are far lower than last autumn, the demonstrations are big enough to block traffic around the parliament building. Many protesters have worn masks since the government imposed harsh penalties for blocking streets. Elene Khoshtaria, another prominent opposition politician, on Tuesday slammed Georgian Dream for using 'violence, repressions, political persecution' to snuff out dissent and Georgia's 'European future.' She praised protesters for their persistence and called on Western countries to give stronger backing to Georgian Dream's critics. 'We are all in solidarity with all our friends and political prisoners,' she said, referring to those jailed or detained in recent weeks. 'As long as Georgia fights, I think our international partners should act in a very decisive and bold way.'
Russia Today
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Pro-Western ex-Georgian president gets new prison term
A court in Georgia has sentenced former President Mikhail Saakashvili to four and a half years in prison for illegally crossing the country's border in 2021. The ruling on Monday adds to the 57-year-old politician's existing sentences: Nine years for embezzlement and six years for abuse of power. 'Taking into account the combination of sentences,' the judge said, his total prison term is now set at 12 years and six months. Saakashvili came to power in Georgia on the back of protests in 2003 as a Washington-backed politician, and served as president until 2013. After his term in office ended, he fled the country amid embezzlement allegations. He moved to Ukraine where he became a citizen, thereby forfeiting his Georgian citizenship. While in Ukraine, he held various political roles following the 2014 Western-backed Maidan coup, but later left the country, accusing the authorities in Kiev of corruption. He was stripped of Ukrainian citizenship in 2017, becoming stateless. After being sentenced in absentia to six years in prison for abuse of power, Saakashvili secretly returned to Georgia in 2021, defying a warrant for his arrest, and was detained by the authorities. The court ruled on Monday that the time he has already served will be counted toward the sentence, which means he will remain in prison until 2034 unless he is pardoned or released on parole. The former president, who is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital, did not attend the announcement of the verdict, and reportedly refused to appear at the previous court session, requesting that the trial be postponed until his recovery. Saakashvili and his supporters have repeatedly denounced the charges against him as politically motivated. His health has reportedly deteriorated in custody, with his legal team and allies alleging mistreatment by the Georgian authorities. Commenting on the ruling in a video address, the former leader claimed he was being unlawfully punished for 'daring and managing to transform Georgia into a successful state.' He called the sentences against him an 'executioner-like, illegal, shameful series of decisions.' Saakashvili is also currently on trial for a violent crackdown on anti-government protesters in 2007. His presidency was marked by a brief military conflict with Russia, which followed his order for Georgian troops to invade the then-breakaway republic of South Ossetia in August 2008, in which Russian peacekeepers stationed in the area were targeted.
Russia Today
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Former Georgian president sentenced to nine years in prison
Former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has been sentenced to nine years for embezzlement, according to local media. Georgian authorities detained Saakashvili in October 2021 when he secretly returned to the country during an election and accused the former head of state of abusing power, embezzling funds, and committing other offenses during his tenure. While incarcerated, the former president has repeatedly complained about his poor health. The Georgian TV channel Mtavari Arxi said on Wednesday that Saakashvili has been found guilty of embezzling $3.2 million in state funds in the so-called 'suits and bouquets' case. Teimuraz Janashia, the ex-president's former head of security, also received a guilty verdict, but was let off with a fine of 3,000 lari (around $1,000), according to the broadcaster. Saakashvili was first charged with embezzlement in 2014. Prosecutors said that during his presidency, he used state money to buy suits, coats, watches and other items for himself as well as pay for his son's education, undergo cosmetic procedures and rent expensive cars and a plane. In August 2008, Saakashvili ordered Georgian troops to invade the breakaway republic of South Ossetia, which provoked a short military conflict with Russia after its peacekeepers stationed in the area were targeted. His presidency is also remembered for a violent crackdown on anti-government protesters. Saakashvili fled the country after his term in office ended. In 2015, he obtained a Ukrainian passport and was appointed the governor of Odessa Region by then-President Pyotr Poroshenko. However, he only held the position for a year and resigned amid a scandal, accusing the Kiev authorities of being corrupt.
Russia Today
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Former Georgian president sentenced to 9 years in prison
Former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has been slapped with a nine-year prison term after being found guilty of embezzlement, the local media has reported. Saakashvili was detained in October 2021 after secretly returning to Georgia during an election in the country. The authorities in Tbilisi accused him of abuse of power, embezzlement, and other offenses during his time in office between 2004 and 2013. During the incarceration, the former president lost a lot of weight and repeatedly complained about his poor health condition.
