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Mikhail Saakashvili’s cheeks are sunken, his ribs stick out, his arms look fragile. Since the former Georgian president has been imprisoned, he is said to have lost about 60 kilograms. New admissions of Saakashvili from the prison hospital are now sparking an international outcry – especially from Ukraine.

But what is the Saakashvili case about? What’s behind the newly released video? And what is his connection with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy?

Who is Mikhail Saakashvili?

From 2004 to 2013, Mikhail Saakashvili was president of the ex-Soviet Republic of Georgia, which borders Russia. His politics were Western-oriented: he campaigned for Georgia’s admission to NATO and the EU, but failed with both projects.

During Saakashvili’s tenure, the Caucasus War broke out in 2008 between Tbilisi and Moscow over the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. At that point, Georgia lost. Since then, Russia has maintained a strong military presence in both regions.

Since the beginning of Russia’s offensive war against Ukraine, Saakashvili has accused the current government of Georgia under President Salome Zurabishvili of not being clearly enough on Ukraine’s side in times of war.

Ukrainian exile

After being voted out, Saakashvili left Georgia – the Georgian prosecutor’s office put him on the internal wanted list and ordered him to be taken into custody. Saakashvili first lived in the US, then spent much of his exile in Ukraine – and became politically active there as well.

In 2015, he took Ukrainian citizenship and became governor of the Odessa region under then-President Petro Poroshenko. His Georgian citizenship was revoked by decree in December 2015.

But Saakashvili could not cope with the corrupt structures in the port city. Reforms are impossible under the current circumstances, he said upon his resignation. He got into a fight with his former college friend Poroshenko and also lost his Ukrainian citizenship.

sentencing in absentia

Meanwhile, Saakashvili was stateless. Poroshenko justified the withdrawal by saying that Saakashvili had concealed that he would face persecution in his home country of Georgia.

But the ex-president fought for his right of residence in Ukraine: in September 2017 he illegally crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border. With his followers he stormed a checkpoint. Later, the Ukrainian domestic intelligence service tried several times in vain to arrest Saakashvili: he made a name for himself as the leader of weekly protests against then-President Poroshenko.

The border police only arrested him in February 2018 – Saakashvili had to leave the country for Poland. He lived there and in the Netherlands for almost a year and a half. His wife is Dutch, so he got a residence permit. At that time, in June 2018, the municipal court in Tbilisi, Georgia sentenced Saakashvili in absentia to six years in prison for allegedly ordering an opposition politician to be beaten in 2005.

Another accusation: abuse of power. Saakashvili is said to have pardoned four police officers who were in custody for the murder of a Georgian banker. He also received a prison sentence for this.

Selenskyj gave him back his passport

Then in 2019 again the turning point in Saakashvili’s life: the now incumbent Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave him back his Ukrainian passport and hired him as a reform official. In 2020, he offered Saakashvili to become deputy prime minister.

However, he decided to return to his homeland in October 2021 – knowing full well that he would go to prison there. Shortly after entering the country, he was arrested.

Today, pro-Western reform politician Saakashvili is the most prominent representative of the Georgian opposition to the government led by the Georgian Dream party. Observers accuse the party, which has ruled the country since 2012, of silencing the opposition.

What will happen to Saakashvili in custody?

Saakashvili has significantly deteriorated since his imprisonment, both physically and presumably mentally. Supporters and relatives accuse the Georgian government of torturing the ex-president in prison. They see him as a political prisoner.

The outrage over Saakashvili’s condition is always particularly great when new recordings of him appear. This is usually the case when connected to court hearings via video.

After a 50-day hunger strike, the ex-president was taken to a hospital last year, where he has been detained ever since. “Putting me in jail will not break me. I will actively participate in Georgian politics,” Saakashvili said in the video, which was broadcast live by several TV channels. “I have not committed any crime,” he affirmed.

Poisoned?

Saakashvili’s doctors have been warning for months that the 55-year-old is in mortal danger. He suffers from several serious illnesses, including heavy metal poisoning. A US-based medical group examined Saakashvili at the scene and said his deteriorating health was the result of “torture” in detention. The former head of state must immediately be transferred to a medical institution abroad.

Now, recordings of the most recent court hearing are fueling further speculation about Saakashvili’s health. You can see his face has sunk in further, he’s lost even more weight. Saakashvili lifted his T-shirt to reveal his bulging ribs and hollow belly.

The Georgian authorities, on the other hand, are insisting that Saakashvili receive adequate medical care. In February, a court in the capital Tbilisi ruled that the ex-president should remain in custody.

Saakashvili tweeted: “I showed my physical condition not to make anyone feel guilty, but to expose the lies of the Putinists.” He never intended to die – although he is not afraid of it either. “I will live for Georgia and Ukraine,” Monday’s post continued.

How does Zelenskyy react to Saakashvili’s condition?

Since Saakashvili’s imprisonment, Ukrainian President Zelensky has repeatedly called for the Ukrainian citizen to be brought to Ukraine for necessary treatment and care. In his video message on Monday, he once again called on the international community not to ignore the situation but to “save this man”.

“No government in Europe has the right to execute people, life is a fundamental European value,” Zelensky said. The president had repeatedly emphasized that Saakashvili was “slowly murdered” in Georgian custody. This is a pity”.

On Monday, Zelensky’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba instructed the Georgian ambassador to Ukraine to voice the Ukrainian government’s protest and urge him to leave the country so that the diplomat could hold talks in Tbilisi.

The president also addressed Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin in his accusations. The world saw “again” how “the Kremlin – with the help of the current Georgian government – is killing Ukrainian citizen Mikhail Saakashvili,” Zelenskyy wrote in the Telegram online service.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, a former companion and later rival of Saakashvili, announced in December that the question of a potential pardon “would be answered in due course”. Earlier, she had categorically refused to ever pardon Saakashvili. To Zelensky’s chagrin, Georgia also does not support the West’s sanctions against Moscow.

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