Nine political parties demand return of Saakashvili to Ukraine
Nine political parties in Ukraine have signed a joint statement demanding authorities to ensure the return of the former President of Georgia and ex-governor of the Odessa region, Mikheil Saakashvili, to Ukraine and provide him with an opportunity to defend his interests in court.
The statement was backed by the following political parties: Fatherland, Democratic Alliance, Civic Position, People’s Control, the European Party of Ukraine, Samopomich (Self-Reliance), Svoboda, Hvylya (The Wave), and the Movement of New Forces headed by Saakashvili.
The joint statement was posted by Saakashvili on Facebook.
“We demand the return of Mikheil Saakashvili to Ukraine and to give him an opportunity to defend his rights and dignity in Ukrainian courts, in accordance with the Ukrainian and international law,” the joint statement from Ukrainian political leaders read.
The parties stated that by sending Saakashvili away from the country, Ukrainian authorities “committed a political lynching of a person, violated human rights, and dealt a tremendous blow to the international image of Ukraine.”
“We therefore call on world leaders and diplomats to give their uncompromised assessment of the political repressions carried out by the Ukrainian authorities,” the statement concludes.
As it was reported earlier, Saakashvili was stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship by President Poroshenko’s decree while he was away from the country. As of September, Saakashvili stayed in Ukraine without any citizenship until early this week when he was exiled to Poland under a re-admission procedure. Saakashvili already promised to return to Ukraine and continue spearheading protests against current Ukrainian authorities.