Ex-pres Saakashvili claims authorities fear his political influence

Georgia’s former President Mikheil Saakashvili on Friday claimed that authorities were targeting him because of his political engagement, insisting that his involvement in the October 4 protests could have achieved “even more peaceful results”.

In a post on social media, Saakashvili said he was questioned today over the October 4 events. The protests in the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi drew hundreds of thousands of participants, and he credited the “people’s assembly” with significantly influencing the boycott of so-called local elections.

“This case is purely political. Many respected individuals have already been detained and now they have come for me. For the fifth year, I have been imprisoned on fabricated charges, constantly monitored under strict audio and video surveillance and subjected to restrictions on phone communication”, he said.

Saakashvili also addressed questions regarding his past social media posts, emphasising that they never called for violence. He described his detention and the ongoing charges as acts of revenge by Russia and its local collaborators against “successful Georgian reforms” and his efforts to protect Georgia and Ukraine from Russian influence.

“They are not afraid because I was engaged in the people’s assembly; they are afraid because if I had been fully engaged, much more could have been achieved entirely peacefully”, Saakashvili wrote.

“They fear because history has made me a symbol of Georgia’s independence and success on the world stage. That is why I have been imprisoned and continue to face new sentences”, he added.