Nikoloz Samkharadze, Chair of the parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee, says Magnitsky and Saakashvili have nothing in common, and the discussion on this list is pointless.

Samkharadze deems such suggestions as a political ploy to win the hearts of voters ahead of the National Movement’s internal party elections.

“This is another PR move because Magnitsky and Saakashvili have nothing in common. Magnitsky was a Russian lawyer tortured to death in a Russian prison against Saakashvili, being treated in a luxury ward for the last nine months. The list lacks perspective, since they cannot be compared. It is simply a pre-election political game to win the voters’ hearts ahead of internal party elections,” Nikoloz Samkharadze stated.

United National Movement (UNM) opposition party member Khatia Dekanoidze said that “those involved in human rights violations against jailed ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili should be added to the Magnitsky Act list.” On 7 January, Saakashvili sent a letter to Bill Browder, CEO of Heritage foundation, saying, “my request is to help local Georgian groups with drafting a new Magnitsky list in advance, not waiting for a lethal outcome.”