“Yesterday’s decision to transfer Georgia’s third president, Mikheil Saakashvili, from a medical facility to Rustavi prison is a clear sign of the dictatorship taking hold in our country,” stated Tina Bokuchava, the United National Movement Chair, during a briefing.

Bokuchava emphasised that the party’s response to these desperate measures must be one of resistance with increased strength, unity, and unwavering solidarity.

“This decision has two main reasons. Firstly, thirteen years after a peaceful transfer of power, Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia’s third president, remains Ivanishvili’s main political rival and personal enemy. Saakashvili is also Vladimir Putin’s most significant enemy, not only in Georgia but across the entire region. Alongside President Zelenskyy, who refused to surrender his country’s sovereignty to the enemy, Saakashvili has fought tirelessly to defend Georgia’s independence.

Secondly, this move is Ivanishvili’s desperate attempt to garner attention from the West, especially the United States. Recall that the U.S. Congress has previously described Bidzina Ivanishvili as an incorrigible, ruthless dictator. Now, by consolidating his grip on power and establishing a dictatorship, Ivanishvili seeks to convince the West that a dictatorship has been firmly established in Georgia, that he himself is the dictator, and that he must engage directly with Western powers and the United States.

What surprises me most is that a man who has spent his entire life counting money seems oblivious to the fact that, unlike Lukashenko, his personal wealth and Georgia’s future are entirely dependent on Western support. Therefore, Ivanishvili will never hold the same negotiating leverage with the West or the U.S. as Lukashenko or Vladimir Putin might in future negotiations.

Our response to these desperate actions and the consolidation of dictatorship must be unwavering resistance with greater strength, unity, and determination. We must fight for our country, for victory, for the truth that is on our side. We fight for the peace our nation and families deserve, for the release of political prisoners, for the freedom of President Mikheil Saakashvili, and for Georgia’s return to the Euro-Atlantic integration path.

Victory is undoubtedly ours, and it will surely come. We must continue our united struggle to achieve this,” declared Tina Bokuchava.