Jailed ex-President Saakashvili vows to save Georgia, stresses need for pressure
Jailed ex-President Saakashvili vows to save Georgia, stresses need for pressure

“I will not give up. I will do everything to save Georgia,” former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili declared during his virtual appearance at today’s court hearing.

He emphasized that now is not the time for flirting, settling scores, or making passing remarks about each other, but rather for increased pressure, organization, and unity.

According to Saakashvili, “more pressure, organization, and unity are needed” to overcome the current crisis.

“I will do everything to end this misfortune. I do not recognize either this court or this investigation. Naturally, I don’t recognize them because this is a court and investigation of “white envelopes”, but I do recognize the Georgian people and their sovereignty, the Ukrainian people and their sovereignty, Ukraine, of which I am a proud citizen,” he said.

Saakashvili condemned all forms of political violence and expressed his determination to persevere, stating, “Our fate is in our hands. We need to endure a little longer and push harder. Now is not the time for flirting, settling scores, or making passing remarks about each other… More pressure, even more organization, even more unity, and we will definitely defeat the criminal syndicate that has seized the fate of every Georgian.”

He praised the Georgian people for holding an unprecedented nationwide strike across the country.

“I want to congratulate everyone who very successfully conducted the general strike. This is unprecedented in Georgia’s history,” Saakashvili stated.

Saakashvili also appealed to medical professionals and other workers to join the strike.

“Every profession should join. Even the medical field. A doctor’s salary is GEL 500, a nurse’s – GEL 300. Shouldn’t you go on strike, if you’re going to look at this so calmly?” the ex-president claimed.

In his remarks, Saakashvili highlighted the differences between the previous and current governments.

“The difference between those nine years and these miserable 12 years is that back then we were completely oriented towards the positive – this opened, this was done, we created this new program. These people are oriented towards everything being transferred to the political process – in the so-called court corridors and halls,” Saakashvili said.

He criticized the current government for its focus on “court corridors and halls,” stating, “They often say Murusidze was also there during Saakashvili’s time. I didn’t even know who Murusidze was then, I hadn’t even heard of this surname. Why hadn’t I heard it? Because the court wasn’t the centre of anything. The court was somewhere there, by the way. The centre of life was oriented towards something completely different, the country’s development and future.”