Jailed ex-Pres Saakashvili: Georgian Dream regime ‘can’t last long’, era of reconstruction ahead

Georgia’s jailed former president Mikheil Saakashvili has accused the current government of dismantling the achievements of the Rose Revolution and carrying out the "tasks of the enemy." Speaking during a court appearance, Saakashvili claimed that the “regime’s days were numbered” and predicted a period of major political change in Georgia.

“These are carrying out the enemy’s tasks. The time of dictators is passing,” said Saakashvili, who served as Georgia’s third president from 2004 to 2013. “Taking into account historical logic and the people’s mood, such a regime cannot last long.”

Saakashvili further accused the current government of cracking down on media freedom and reviving systemic corruption. He pointed to recent moves to abolish the Unified National Exams as an example of what he described as a return to corrupt practices in education.

“They are destroying everything related to the achievements of the Rose Revolution,” he said. “They have created a system where, if journalists report on corruption, it is the journalists - not the officials - who are punished.”

Despite his imprisonment, Saakashvili called for unity among opposition forces and expressed solidarity with detained opposition figures Mamuka Khazaradze and Irakli Okruashvili. He accused Okruashvili of giving false testimony against him, but praised both men for what he described as their refusal to cooperate with an “illegitimate regime.”

“I call on everyone who supports me to put divisions behind us,” Saakashvili said. “The time of great reconstruction is coming. Georgia will regain its territorial integrity, and the displaced will return to their homes.”

“The story of Caucasian unity is at stake, and Georgians have always played a major role in that process.”