Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia’s former president who is in prison due to various charges, has issued a public message to the nation’s police officers, encouraging them to reject what he calls “illegal orders.”
Saakashvili praised the police force, which he says was reformed under his presidency and has always represented a source of pride for him and the Georgian people.
“Dear Georgian police officers, the new Georgian police were established during my presidency and have always stood as a symbol of pride for myself and for all of Georgia,” he wrote.
Saakashvili alleged that a “handful of mafia members” in the current administration are tarnishing the integrity of the police and working in service of an “oligarch and Russia,” referring to the founder and honorary chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Assuring officers that change is imminent, he stated that they would soon be “freed from this pressure” with the help of the Georgian people after the October 26 elections.
