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Georgia ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili's prison terms now total over 12 years after latest verdict

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Georgia ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili's prison terms now total over 12 years after latest verdict
News

News

Georgia ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili's prison terms now total over 12 years after latest verdict

2025-03-17 22:33 Last Updated At:22:41

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — A court in Georgia on Monday handed another prison sentence to former President Mikheil Saakashvili, extending his total imprisonment to 12½ years, in a verdict that he denounced as illegal.

Saakashvili, who served as Georgia’s president from 2004-2013, had previously been sentenced on charges of abuse of power and embezzlement that he and his defense have rejected as politically motivated.

On Monday, the court sentenced him to four years and six months on charges of illegal border crossing. With his previous sentences accumulated, he now has to serve 12 years and six months behind bars.

Saakashvili, speaking by videoconference, dismissed Monday's verdict as an “absolutely illegal, unjust sentencing of me for crimes I have not committed.”

“They want to annihilate me in prison,” he said. "But no matter what, I will fight till the end.”

Saakashvili, who led the so-called Rose Revolution protests in 2003 that drove his predecessor out of office, enacted a serious of ambitious reforms tacking official corruption as president of the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million. He also presided over a short but fierce war with Russia in 2008 that ended with the humiliating loss of its last footholds in two separatist territories, and he cracked down on protesters who charged that his zeal had mutated into autocracy.

In 2012, Saakashvili’s United National Movement party lost the election to the Georgian Dream party established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia. Georgian Dream has remained in power ever since, tightening its grip on democratic freedoms and drawing accusations from the opposition of steering the country away from the path toward European Union membership and back into Russia’s sphere of influence.

Saakashvili left for Ukraine in 2013, obtained Ukrainian citizenship and served as a governor of the country’s southern Odesa region from 2015-16. He returned to Georgia in October 2021 to try to bolster opposition forces before nationwide municipal elections and was quickly arrested.

The former president spent much of his time behind bars in a prison hospital after going on a hunger strikes and later claiming that he had been poisoned. He is currently receiving medical treatment at the Vivamedi Clinic, where he is being monitored for several chronic conditions, and his health reportedly worsens periodically, according to the clinic.

Saakashvili's lawyer, Beka Basilaia, said that Monday's verdict again showed that Saakashvili is a political prisoner.

"As long as Georgian Dream remains in power, the judiciary is a farce and will make whatever decision it is instructed to,” Basilaia said.

In this photo taken from video, Georgia's jailed ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili appears on a screen via a video link from a prison during a court hearing in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, March 17, 2025. (TV formula via AP)

In this photo taken from video, Georgia's jailed ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili appears on a screen via a video link from a prison during a court hearing in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, March 17, 2025. (TV formula via AP)

In this photo taken from video, Georgia's jailed ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili appears on a screen via a video link from a prison during a court hearing in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, March 17, 2025. (TV formula via AP)

In this photo taken from video, Georgia's jailed ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili appears on a screen via a video link from a prison during a court hearing in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, March 17, 2025. (TV formula via AP)

FILE - Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili who was convicted in absentia of abuse of power during his presidency and arrested upon his return from exile, gestures speaking from a defendant's dock during a court hearing in Tbilisi, Georgia, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. . (Irakli Gedenidze/Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili who was convicted in absentia of abuse of power during his presidency and arrested upon his return from exile, gestures speaking from a defendant's dock during a court hearing in Tbilisi, Georgia, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. . (Irakli Gedenidze/Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - Georgia's jailed ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili appears on a screen via a video link from a clinic during a court hearing in the case of the violent dispersal of anti-government mass protests in 2007, in Tbilisi, Georgia, Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. (Irakli Gedenidze, Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - Georgia's jailed ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili appears on a screen via a video link from a clinic during a court hearing in the case of the violent dispersal of anti-government mass protests in 2007, in Tbilisi, Georgia, Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. (Irakli Gedenidze, Pool Photo via AP, File)

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PHOTO COLLECTION: EU Summit

2025-03-20 21:29 Last Updated At:21:30

This is a photo collection curated by AP photo editors.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, left, speaks with European Council President Antonio Costa as he arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, left, speaks with European Council President Antonio Costa as he arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, center, and European Council President Antonio Costa, second right, speak with the media during an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, center, and European Council President Antonio Costa, second right, speak with the media during an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, left, speaks with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, left, speaks with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Netherland's Prime Minister Dick Schoof, center left, speaks with European Council President Antonio Costa during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Netherland's Prime Minister Dick Schoof, center left, speaks with European Council President Antonio Costa during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, center, speaks with Netherland's Prime Minister Dick Schoof, left, and Luxembourg's Prime Minister Luc Frieden during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, center, speaks with Netherland's Prime Minister Dick Schoof, left, and Luxembourg's Prime Minister Luc Frieden during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk, center, arrives for a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP)

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk, center, arrives for a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP)

Portugal's Prime Minister Luis Montenegro arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Portugal's Prime Minister Luis Montenegro arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Austria's Chancellor Christian Stocker arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Austria's Chancellor Christian Stocker arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Luxembourg's Prime Minister Luc Frieden arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Luxembourg's Prime Minister Luc Frieden arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

European Union leaders attend a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

European Union leaders attend a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

CAPTION CORRECTS PHOTOGRAPHER BYLINE Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

CAPTION CORRECTS PHOTOGRAPHER BYLINE Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Netherland's Prime Minister Dick Schoof, left, and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP)

Netherland's Prime Minister Dick Schoof, left, and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP)

Netherland's Prime Minister Dick Schoof, left, and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP)

Netherland's Prime Minister Dick Schoof, left, and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP)

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, center, during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP)

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, center, during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP)

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrives for a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrives for a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Netherland's Prime Minister Dick Schoof, right, and Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen arrive for a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP)

Netherland's Prime Minister Dick Schoof, right, and Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen arrive for a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP)

Ireland's Prime Minister Michael Martin, left, arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Ireland's Prime Minister Michael Martin, left, arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, right, arrives for a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, right, arrives for a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, center, and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, left, arrive for a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, center, and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, left, arrive for a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attends a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP)

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attends a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP)

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks with the media as she arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks with the media as she arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, center, arrives for a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, center, arrives for a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, left, speaks with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, left, speaks with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, left, speaks with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, left, speaks with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

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