US gov’t urges Georgia to address Saakashvili’s needs

The US government has urged the Georgian government to address the needs of the country’s former president, Mikheil Saakashvili, who was arrested in Tbilisi on October 1.

“We urge the Georgian government to take immediate steps to address both Saakashvili’s urgent psychological and physical needs,” State Department Spokeswoman Ned Price said at a briefing yesterday, responding to the question by Voice of America Georgian bureau. 

The State Department also called on the Georgian government to treat Mikheil Saakashvili ‘fairly and with dignity’, in accordance with international standards and Georgian law.

Saakashvili claims he returned to Georgia after eight years in political exile to remove the Georgian Dream from power. 

His United National Movement party is holding rallies in Tbilisi and regions, demanding the release of the former president. 

Saakashvili, who is a citizen of Ukraine and currently chairs the Executive Committee of the Ukrainian National Reforms Council, was convicted in Georgia back in 2018 in absentia  for abuse of power and was sentenced to six years in prison. 

He has also been charged with illegal takeover of property, illegal rally dispersal, embezzlement and illegally crossing the border.