Georgian Authorities Want to Kill Saakashvili, Zelensky Claims

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the Georgian authorities of having intentions to kill former President Mikheil Saakashvili. This was reported by Говорит Москва.

The Ukrainian president believes that the political figure is subjected to torture every day in prison.

He emphasized that he does not discuss the reasons for Saakashvili's arrest, but he is concerned about the conditions of detention of the Ukrainian citizen.

During a press conference with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen, Zelensky displayed two photographs of Saakashvili taken during his speech at a court session yesterday.

Georgia's Minister of Justice Rati Bregadze described the accusations made by the Ukrainian president as offensive. “European and Western standards imply that all statements, especially those made by high-ranking officials, should be based on evidence,” he said, adding that Georgian authorities always try to refrain from commenting on the evaluations of Ukrainian politicians.

Saakashvili was arrested on October 1, 2021. He has been charged with illegally crossing the border. The political figure has repeatedly declared hunger strikes during his imprisonment, and his health has deteriorated while in custody. In November 2022, lawyer Shalva Khachapuridze reported that doctors had discovered 36 ailments in the former president. During his year of imprisonment, he has lost 60 kg.