Friday, December 5, 2025

Georgia moves ex-President Saakashvili back to prison

TBILISI, November 13 – Georgia’s former president Mikheil Saakashvili has been moved out of a private clinic and back into Rustavi prison in a late night transfer which caused political controversy. The penitentiary service and the Ministry of Health say Saakashvili no longer needs hospital care. Saakashvili, his lawyers, and his family insist that he … Read more

Georgia’s indicted opposition hits back as prosecutors press sabotage cases

TBILISI, November 7 – Georgia’s opposition leaders and their lawyers pushed back Friday after prosecutors opened criminal proceedings against eight opposition figures, including former president Mikheil Saakashvili, on counts ranging from “sabotage” to aiding a foreign power’s hostile activity. The Prosecutor General’s Office has also asked a Tbilisi court to set bail for Lelo party … Read more

Ex-president says “everyone” now being jailed in Georgia

TBILISI, October 10 – Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili criticizes the ongoing arrests linked to the October 4 unrest outside the presidential residence, calling the situation a sign that “everyone” is now at risk of imprisonment regardless of background or profession. In a lengthy post published Friday on his official Facebook page, Saakashvili reacted to … Read more

Georgia court orders Saakashvili to repay USD 3.3m to state

TBILISI, September 29 – A court in Tbilisi has ruled that former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili and a former top security official must repay nearly 9 million lari (about USD 3.3 million) to the state budget over the alleged misuse of public funds. The decision, issued by Judge Aleksandre Gzirishvili of Tbilisi City Court, sided … Read more

Will Georgia’s opposition rally turn on itself October 4?

TBILISI, September 25 – With Georgia’s hotly contested October 4 local elections just days away, opposition party Lelo is weighing whether to show up at a major street rally in Tbilisi the same evening. The move could put the party on a collision course with other opposition groups that have vowed to boycott the vote. … Read more

Former Georgian president warns corruption will break public health insurance system

TBILISI, DFWatch–Mikheil Saakashvili, the imprisoned former president of Georgia, has issued a stark warning about the country’s healthcare system, predicting its collapse within a year due to alleged widespread corruption and chronic underfunding. Writing on social media from detention, Saakashvili claimed that massive corruption in Georgia’s public health insurance system is driving medical professionals out … Read more

Situation surrounding Saakashvili can ruin Georgia’s EU aspirations, ambassadors say to GD government

The ambassadors of the EU member states warned the Georgian government at a meeting behind closed doors that the situation surrounding the former president Mikheil Saakashvili could put an end to Georgia’s European aspirations, Tbilisi-based Russian-language news website Sova reports relying on its own sources. At Wednesday’s meeting with Justice Minister Rati Bregadze, the heads … Read more

Saakashvili claims Putin personally ordered his assassination by poisoning

The imprisoned former President of Georgia states that the sharp deterioration of his health condition is related to poisoning, which was ordered by Vladimir Putin of Russia. “Putin really ordered me to be killed in prison. American toxicologists have determined that I was poisoned in prison and that this caused all my symptoms. I’m trying … Read more

"Do not break up the trio" – Former leaders of Georgia ask the EU to grant candidate status

Georgia’s two former presidents and four ex-speakers of parliament appeal the EU not to oust Georgia from the “trio” and to grant it candidate status, as it did with Ukraine and Moldova. “The content of the letter is as follows – we agree with the demands of European Commission, the expediency of their fulfillment, but … Read more

Former president Saakashvili returns to Georgia and is arrested a day before local elections

TBILISI, DFWatch–Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili allegedly returned on Friday to his home country on Friday after eight and a half years’ absence. Law enforcement authorities arrested the former leader the same evening. The news about the ex-president’s arrest sparked celebrations among the opposition and frustration within the government, and threatened to overshadow preparations for … Read more