"Choose your homeland"- ex-president Saakashvili appeals to Georgian civil servants from prison
Saakashvili appeals to Georgian civil servants from prison
Mikheil Saakashvili, the detained third president of Georgia, who has been on hunger strike for 19 days, sent a letter from prison in which he appealed to government officials, law enforcement agencies and teachers who participate in election commissions.
Saakashvili urges them to abandon their support for the ruling Georgian Dream party and opt for the opposition. The ex-president’s letter also says that “a great reconciliation awaits us” and reconciliation requires a reciprocal movement from all sides.
Also, the third president specifically appeals to the special forces and the police and urges them not to disperse the peaceful protests of their own people, whom they are obliged to protect.
According to Saakashvili, civil servants owe no one and, on the contrary, the state owes them:
“The overwhelming majority of you work for a meager salary and in humiliating conditions. Therefore, we consider it our duty to free you, and then your talents and skills will be highly appreciated, and each of you will feel more fulfilled and useful”.
The third president of Georgia also reacted to the rally of his supporters on October 14 and wrote that this rally and its spirit were an unmistakable sign that the regime no longer has a serious support in society.
“In the last days of its existence, the regime will intensify its violence against you and will try to use you to rig the elections. However, no amount of falsification will help them – they have completely lost the trust and support of the bulk of the Georgian people. Without this, no one will ever be able to win the elections”, says Mikheil Saakashvili’s letter.
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On October 18, a letter was published in support of Mikhail Saakashvili, initiated by MEP Anna Fotyga, which was signed by 72 people. Along with the MEPs, it was signed by members of the Lithuanian Seimas, as well as former presidents, prominent political and public figures.
The signatories say that Saakashvili’s arrest should be suspended until a fair trial is held on his case.
MEPs believe Saakashvili’s arrest only exacerbates the political crisis in Georgia, caused by years of extreme polarization, free press control, intimidation and covert surveillance of journalists, opposition politicians, activists and even foreign diplomats as well as limiting the space and resources of government for the political opposition.
The third president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, is on a hunger strike for 19 days in protest of his arrest. According to his personal doctor, his condition is deteriorating.
Mikheil Saakashvili was arrested on October 1 in Tbilisi after he secretly returned to his homeland.
Several criminal cases have been launched against the third president of Georgia, he has already been convicted in one case and sentenced to six years in prison. The ex-president, with the status of a wanted person, was transferred to prison 1212 in Rustavi immediately after his arrest. On the same evening, he went on a hunger strike.
