The European Parliament demands that Georgia release former president Saakashvili

Warns that this case is a litmus test for Georgia’s European aspirations

BRUSSELS, 15 Feb. () –

The European Parliament has asked the Georgian authorities this Wednesday to release former President Mikhail Saakashvili, who has become increasingly topical in recent weeks due to his precarious state of health while serving a six-year sentence for a crime of abuse of power.

In a resolution, MEPs urge Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili to use her constitutional powers to pardon the former president and allow him to be treated abroad, after countries like Poland have offered to take him in.

The European Parliament expresses its serious concern about the deterioration of his health and takes note of the information that indicates that he could have been poisoned in prison. Likewise, it warns that this case should be a “litmus test” for the community aspirations of Georgia, a country to which the European Union considered its European perspective while recognizing Ukraine and Moldova as candidates to join the bloc.

“The way prisoners are treated in the country, such as the former president, is a litmus test of the Georgian government’s commitment to European values ​​and its stated European aspirations,” the resolution said.

Saakashvili has been serving a six-year prison sentence since 2021 for a crime of abuse of power. Since his imprisonment, he has started several hunger strikes and has denounced an attempted poisoning.