It has become one of the symbols of the standoff between Russia and the West. In a 13-page letter that he sent us from his prison in Tbilisi (Georgia), Mikhail Saakashvili, sentenced in October 2021 to six years in prison for “abuse of power”, considers that the pro-Russian government is making him pay , under the influence of Vladimir Putin, the rapprochement of his country with the European Union. From his place of detention, the former president of Georgia (2004-2013) supports the demonstrations denouncing the vote, Tuesday April 16, by the Georgian Parliament, of a controversial law on “foreign agents”, inspired by a Russian text aimed at silencing opposition voices.
“Russia has de facto propagated a hybrid war by imposing this law which would close the road to the European Union from Georgia”, estimates Mikhail Saakashvili, who urges his supporters to mobilize “to defend freedom, independence and ‘European future of Georgia’. Determined to keep this former Soviet republic in the Caucasus under his control, the head of the Kremlin has never forgiven the former hero of the “Rose Revolution” (2003) for having stood against him. Today, Mikhail Saakashvili considers his life threatened.
Message to the West
And while the European Parliament calls for his release, Volodymyr Zelensky, who appointed him in 2020, in kyiv, as head of the National Reform Council, accuses the Georgian authorities of “killing him slowly”, his health having deteriorated in prison.
This statement in the press, the first since the death of Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny on February 16, 2024 at the Kharp penitentiary center in the Arctic, takes on particular resonance in the context of the war in Ukraine. Long convinced that Moscow will not stop there and will attack Georgia or Moldova, Mikhail Saakashvili sends a message to the West at this crucial moment when Ukrainian troops find themselves in difficulty facing the invader Russian.
The deterioration of his state of health. “I still feel quite weak. I suffer from severe neuropathy. I have difficulty making certain movements, I have short memory problems. This is the result of the heavy metal poisoning that I Things were made worse by the fact that the main decisions regarding my treatment were not made by medical doctors, but by the security service, as denounced by the European Committee for the Prevention of Disease. torture and inhumane treatment or punishment.”
In this text written from his prison in Georgia, Mikheïl Saakashvili sends a message to the West.
© / The Express
Putin’s “personal prisoner”. “Putin cannot forgive us for the fact that on Russia’s doorstep we managed to implement radical reforms that transformed Georgia from a bankrupt state into a rapidly developing country, free of corruption, with institutions functional, low crime and accelerated rapprochement with Europe [NDLR : l’UE a fini par accorder en décembre à la Géorgie le statut de candidat]. In reality, we have created an alternative to Putin’s model. Nor will he be able to forgive us that in 2008 we managed to stand up against his aggression by preventing him from taking full control of Georgia. [NDLR : Moscou a envahi 20 % du territoire, occupant l’Abkhazie et l’Ossétie du Sud].”
Deprived of sun. “My detention is taking place in violation of all laws. I am deprived of all telephone communications. I haven’t seen any rays of sunshine and haven’t been exposed to fresh air in over two years. Members of Parliament who should be able to visit me are deprived of this right and their legal action to obtain this possibility is not even considered by the Georgian courts. I am extremely grateful to President Emmanuel Macron who has repeatedly publicly and privately urged the Georgian authorities to let me go. President Zelensky recalled the Ukrainian ambassador from Tbilisi and de facto expelled the Georgian ambassador from kyiv. I also have a lot of gratitude to Bernard-Henri Lévy, who launched a campaign for my release.
Fear of Putin
Today, my freedom depends entirely on the Russian president. As Ukrainian intelligence services and a number of senior officials of other countries have indicated to my lawyers, Vladimir Putin personally banned Russian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili [NDLR : ancien Premier ministre de Géorgie (2012-2013), proche de l’actuel chef du gouvernement Irakli Garibachvili]who makes all the decisions in Georgia, to release me.
Hundreds of thousands of Georgians, several thousand prominent Ukrainians, the European Parliament and a number of other European legislatures and leaders have called on the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, to release me, but I think she has physically afraid of Putin. The Council of Europe assembly describes me as “Putin’s personal prisoner”. This makes my fate totally dependent on geopolitics and the direction the war takes.”
“Imminent danger”. “In recent years, the Russian president has repeatedly attacked me. Just last year, he accused me of undermining the Commonwealth of Independent States. Putin has repeatedly publicly threatened to kill me. He also told President Sarkozy that he wanted to “hang me by the balls”. In fact, I am the only person in the world that Putin threatened to kill and who is still alive Considering that the Russian secret services enjoy a. complete freedom of action in Georgia, one could easily assume that I am in imminent danger.”
In this text written from his prison in Georgia, Mikheïl Saakashvili talks about Navalny, Putin and his detention.
© / The Express
Alexeï Navalny, this hero. “When Navalny was still alive [NDLR : l’opposant russe est mort le 16 février au centre pénitentiaire de Kharp, dans l’Arctique], Putin avoided mentioning his name, instead describing him as the “Saakashvili” of Russia. I had been deeply touched by Navalny’s solidarity with me from his prison cell, where he called on the Georgian authorities to treat me in a more humane way. Navalny is, for me, a great hero of historical dimension.”
The Putin regime. “It cannot be tougher than it is today. Since the attack in Russia [NDLR : le 22 mars dans la salle de concert du Crocus City Hall, à Krasnogorsk, dans la banlieue de Moscou], Putin accuses Ukraine of terrorism, but this is only a protective reaction intended to justify his own failure. This regime could collapse suddenly. Just look at the way the presidential election went. [NDLR : avec des fraudes massives, selon des médias d’opposition russes]. The tension is clearly increasing within Russian society.”
Ukraine’s challenge
War in Ukraine, the Kremlin’s obsession. “There should be no mistake. Putin’s main dream is to make Kiev the capital of Russia, like Peter the Great, St. Petersburg. I met with Putin more than thirty times, I had many hours conversations with him and I was always very surprised at how obsessed he is with kyiv. If Ukraine didn’t lose the war in the first two weeks, it can’t lose it now. Ukraine will meet its challenge: preserve its independence and bring the country irreversibly towards Europe. This cannot be done without the disappearance of this imperial and vengeful Russian regime.
The crucial question of American support. “I personally know Joe Biden and Donald Trump. The latter called me “the best president in the world” and Joe Biden described me as the “George Washington of Georgia”. But the politicization of aid to Ukraine makes him has turned into a partisan and polarizing issue. Biden has taken a very strong stance on Putin, but, knowing Trump well, I can assure you that he does not admire the “Putin system” and will not enable it. not to play with him. I think the aid program for Ukraine will be adopted in the United States.
The sending of ground troops mentioned by Emmanuel Macron. “If France sends 2,000 military instructors to kyiv and Odessa, this will significantly strengthen the fighting spirit of the Ukrainians and will be a huge demotivation for the Russians. Today, President Macron assumes the role of leader of the free world, left vacant by the Americans. Macron is bold, courageous, he is not afraid to go against existing trends. There is something very romantic and Gaullist in today’s Macron.
Message to the West. “The war can only end with the total fall of the Putin regime. The West is strong enough to allow the Ukrainians to finish the job. We are at a historical moment where any hesitation, any late decision could prove fatal. The more collective and resolute the West is, the less bloodshed. More boldness and courage will bring long-term security and stability. Any lack of determination will plunge the world into turmoil which could lead us to the end. of Western civilization as we know it.”
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