MEP Juknevičienė: Ivanishvili behind ex-pres. Saakashvili’s detention “as part of personal vendetta”

MEP Rasa Juknevičienė on Wednesday tweeted the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party and former prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, cited as a “shadow ruler” of the country by the part of the domestic opposition, was behind the detention of Georgia’s third president Mikheil Saakashvili “as part of a personal vendetta”

The comment came following the European Parliament’s resolution earlier during the day with 577 MEPs for and 33 against, that called for the release of Saakashvili on health grounds. 

“The EP adopted an urgency resolution on the dire condition of Saakashvili. The text is clear – Bidzina Ivanishvili is responsible “for ongoing detention [of Saakasvhili] as part of a personal vendetta”. Georgia needs debidzinization and deoligarchization”, the MEP said. 

The resolution expressed “grave concern over deteriorating health of former President Mikheil Saakashvili and over inadequate response of Georgian authorities so far” and added that Saakashvili case was a “litmus test of the Georgian government’s commitment to European values and its declared European aspirations, including EU candidate status”.