Ex-Pres Saakashvili marks 58th birthday in prison, vows to continue struggle

Georgia’s third president, Mikheil Saakashvili, says he will continue to fight “until our victory,” marking his 58th birthday while in prison, according to a statement he published on Sunday on social media.

Saakashvili said he was 53 years old when he entered prison in 2021 and has now turned 58. He called on those wishing to give him gifts to instead donate to the accounts of other political prisoners through journalist Nanuka Zhorzholiani, noting that he does not currently need assistance himself.

In his statement, Saakashvili recalled leaving a successful legal career in New York in 1995 to return to what he described as a dangerous and impoverished Georgia, laying the groundwork for reforms that, after 2003, transformed the country into a “global example” of progress.

He also referenced the 2008 war with Russia, saying he refused to leave Georgia despite personal threats from Vladimir Putin, and the peaceful transfer of power in 2012 following elections. Saakashvili added that in 2021 he gave up a comfortable life in Ukraine to return to Georgia, despite serious risks to his life, in an attempt to “wake society up” ahead of an “impending catastrophe”.

Saakashvili criticised the “conformist segment” of Georgian society for ignoring “unjust charges” against him, as well as his imprisonment, poisoning and torture. At the same time, he expressed gratitude to supporters in Georgia, Ukraine and around the world, saying their support helped him endure his imprisonment.

“I will not break, I will not accept this, and I will fight until your and my victory,” Saakashvili said, adding that Georgians would one day build a “brilliant city - Lazika”.

He concluded his message with the phrases: “Glory to freedom!” and “Slava Ukraini!”