No chance of extraditing Saakashvili – Georgia PM
Kobakhidze believes that Saakashvili's extradition to Ukraine is impossible (Photo: REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze)
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze responded to Ukraine’s calls to hand over former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili or transfer him to a third country, saying there is “no chance” of his extradition. Echo of the Caucasus reported this on Nov. 18.
“Kobakhidze said the situation ‘lays everything bare — the level of conscientiousness we are dealing with when certain people speak. When such people talk to us about transferring Saakashvili, of course we cannot take such statements seriously,’” he said in response to comments by Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak.
On Nov. 16, Podolyak said the issue of transferring Saakashvili was being actively worked on. “As for involving Mr. Saakashvili, this is part of our agenda. Ukraine is actively working on this matter,” he said.
On Nov. 13, Mikheil Saakashvili appealed from prison to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to recognize him as a civilian prisoner of war in Russia’s war against Ukraine. It came a day after he was moved from a hospital back to prison.
Saakashvili’s charges and arrest in Georgia
In September 2021, Saakashvili returned to Georgia, where he was arrested and sentenced to prison. In protest, he went on several hunger strikes, insisting he had been detained on political charges.
According to his lawyers, family and supporters, Saakashvili’s health has severely deteriorated due to hunger strikes and improper treatment, and he requires medical care abroad.
In November 2022, his lawyer Shalva Khachapuridze said Saakashvili had been diagnosed with dementia and tuberculosis. Saakashvili himself believes he may have been poisoned by Russian agents.
In February 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Georgian government was killing Saakashvili and urged them to release him for treatment in Ukraine or another country.
In July 2023, Saakashvili appeared in court for the first time in a long while. Georgian opposition media published photos showing severe weight loss. In May 2024, it was reported that Saakashvili lost his case against Georgia in the European Court of Human Rights.
On March 11, the politician received another nine-year prison sentence for large-scale embezzlement of budget funds. Saakashvili called the charges “purely political.”
On March 17, he was sentenced to an additional 4.5 years in prison for illegally crossing the border in fall 2021.
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