Saakashvili claims his return to prison was ‘coordinated with Moscow’

Georgia’s former president Mikheil Saakashvili has alleged that his overnight transfer from the Vivamedi clinic back to the N12 penitentiary facility was carried out without warning and formed part of a broader political plan by the authorities.

In a letter sent from prison on Thursday, Saakashvili accused Bidzina Ivanishvili - the ruling party’s founder and Georgia’s former prime minister - of orchestrating his return to custody. He claimed the move was intended both to intimidate his supporters and to send a message to Georgia’s Western partners.

“Ivanishvili starts every morning thinking whom to harm today. This time he returned me to the dungeon,” Saakashvili wrote, adding that he was transferred back to Rustavi prison “without any notice.”

He further alleged that individuals he held responsible for his alleged poisoning in March 2022 were present at the facility upon his arrival. Saakashvili has long claimed he was poisoned while in custody, an allegation Georgian authorities deny.

The former president suggested the timing of his transfer was aimed at signalling to the United States, the European Union and Ukraine that previous assurances regarding his health and safety were no longer being upheld. Saakashvili served as chairman of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Reforms Council.

Saakashvili also claimed the decision “was coordinated with Moscow,” describing himself as a symbol of “post-Soviet reform, freedom and statehood” and arguing that both he and Georgia’s sovereignty were being weakened.

He urged supporters not to give up: “Do not surrender under any circumstances. Our victory is inevitable.”

The Interior Ministry confirmed that Saakashvili was transferred from Vivamedi to the N12 penitentiary facility on the night of 12 November.