Ex-Pres Saakashvili says ‘nothing will move forward’ while he remains imprisoned

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on Monday said “nothing will move forward” while he remains in detention and others “move freely”.

In a statement shared online, Saakashvili said “7 November case” had been signed by an individual he described as an officer linked to Russia’s Federal Security Service and claimed that one of the prosecution’s witnesses, former Prime Minister under his rule Zurab Nogaideli, acted as “a direct agent” of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Saakashvili described Nogaideli’s court appearance as fraught, portraying him as visibly nervous while giving testimony. He said the ex-Prime Minister did not directly implicate him during questioning but later addressed the courtroom audience in a confrontational manner.

The ex-President also revisited past grievances, accusing Nogaideli of corruption during his time in government and criticising his post-war contacts with Moscow following the Russia-Georgia war. Saakashvili alleged that such actions amounted to betrayal, claiming that Nogaideli had pledged loyalty to Putin and offered assistance in subordinating Georgia.

Framing the case against him as politically motivated, Saakashvili argued that the charges represent “Russia’s revenge” for failed attempts, in his view, to destabilise Georgia in 2007 and to assert control during the 2008 war.

He concluded with a direct appeal to the Georgian public, questioning how long they would tolerate what he called his “unjust captivity” while, he claimed, figures like Nogaideli “move freely in society without being held accountable”.

Saakashvili ended his statement by describing the situation as “the bitter truth”.