The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has unanimously declared the application of Georgia’s ex-President, Mikheil Saakashvili, regarding the deprivation of his Ukrainian citizenship in 2017 as inadmissible.

Saakashvili, who obtained Ukrainian citizenship in 2015 and actively participated in Ukrainian politics, alleged several rights violations. He claimed that his Ukrainian citizenship was revoked in 2017, and in 2018, he faced criminal proceedings, arrest, and expulsion from Ukraine.

Saakashvili relied on various articles of the European Convention on Human Rights, including those pertaining to the prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment, the right to liberty and security, the presumption of innocence, respect for private life and home, freedom of assembly, the right to an effective remedy, and limitations on the use of restrictions of rights.

The Court determined that Saakashvili had not used all available legal avenues at the national level for most of his complaints. Additionally, the Court found the remaining complaint, based on Article 13, to be manifestly ill-founded.

The Court noted that after May 2019, when Saakashvili’s Ukrainian citizenship had been restored, and he had resumed his political activities, there was nothing to stop him from following through with his complaints in Ukraine.

Decision Saakashvili v. Ukraine – complaints brought by former Georgian President Saakashvili against Ukraine rejected as inadmissiblehttps://t.co/PmGBQfuLmu#ECHR #CEDH #ECHRpress pic.twitter.com/yVhFwhoidu

— ECHR CEDH (@ECHR_CEDH) June 29, 2023