“Every day of imprisonment, whether in a clinic or jail, is a living hell for me because I am unable to help people,” stated imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili during his court trial for illegally crossing the state border.

He made this statement via a video link from the Vivamedi Clinic. According to Saakashvili, the trial in this case is “sneering of the judiciary.”

“You can try me endlessly, and many years may pass. Yesterday, Putin and Lukashenko released the last political prisoners. How long will you keep me or other political prisoners here? People who shout for war or slavery often plot for both. These are people who lack a sense of national dignity. Also, when we speak about the outflow of the population, more people returned to Georgia than left when I was in office because they believed in Georgia’s future.

Now, Georgia is hitting a record. I would like to address our fellow citizens living abroad. I prefer not to refer to them as emigrants. I urge them to prepare to return to Georgia. It’s important because Georgia has a bright future ahead, and a period of prosperity and development is about to begin in the country,” he said, remembering when Georgia was called the “beacon of democracy.”

“I am being destroyed as an individual with the international authority and contacts so much needed as the air to Georgia. Every day of imprisonment, whether in a clinic or jail, is a living hell since I am not able to help people. I want everything for the Georgian and Ukrainian people,” he said.