Solidarity must be the cornerstone of our struggle and the foundation for defeating provincial tyranny, wrote the jailed ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili on social media.

According to Saakashvili, “Everyone arrested by Ivanishvili is a political prisoner and must be released.”

“Some now remind me that Mamuka Khazaradze was once critical of the fact that I, as a prisoner, was allowed video communication. My response is simple: it no longer matters. Mamuka and Badri have shown principle by refusing to cooperate with an illegitimate body, and they deserve our full support and immediate release.

It also no longer matters that my sentence was based on false testimony by Irakli Okruashvili. He isn’t in prison for that, but for doing the right thing — and he deserves our solidarity.

Mr. Gakharia claims that my release would cause ‘destabilization.’ I doubt he himself feels very stable right now — and I want to express my solidarity with him as well. Unlike him, I believe every person arrested by Ivanishvili is a political prisoner and must be freed.

Solidarity must be the foundation of our struggle and the path to overcoming this provincial tyranny. It is also a fact that my arrest paved the way for the wave of repression we are witnessing today,” Saakashvili declared.