*Event date: 2025-03-17.*
A court in Georgia has sentenced former president Mikheil Saakashvili to another four and a half years in prison, adding to a long-running legal saga that has kept one of the country’s most polarising figures behind bars since 2021. The latest sentence concerns his return to Georgia from exile, which the court said was illegal.
Saakashvili is already serving concurrent sentences for embezzlement and abuse of power, pushing his total prison term beyond 12 years. He denies wrongdoing and has called the new sentence illegal and unjust. In a video posted from the hospital where he is being held, he said he would fight to the end, underscoring how central his case remains to Georgia’s politics even after years of imprisonment.
His supporters and rights groups argue that the case is political. Saakashvili opposes the governing Georgian Dream party, which is generally seen as favouring closer ties with Russia, while he built his own reputation as a pro-Western reformer during his presidency from 2004 to 2013. That ideological split has made his prosecution about more than criminal law: it has become a test of where Georgia’s politics are heading.
The details of his return are part of why the case still resonates. He came back in 2021 ahead of local elections, reportedly by ferry from Ukraine, and was quickly arrested after urging anti-government protests. He had spent most of the years after leaving office in Ukraine, where he later gained citizenship and served as governor of Odesa. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has since demanded that he be transferred to Kyiv.
International bodies have not softened their criticism. The European Union has repeatedly called for Saakashvili’s immediate release because of concerns over his health, while the Council of Europe has called him a political prisoner and Amnesty International has described the treatment as apparent political revenge. The latest sentence means the former president’s future will remain tied to court rulings, hospital detention and the broader argument over whether Georgia’s justice system is being used to settle political scores.
Saakashvili's path from reformist president to jailed opponent has long split Georgia and its partners. He led the country for two terms, moved to Ukraine after leaving office and later lost and regained Ukrainian citizenship as he became a Ukrainian regional official. His supporters say the prosecutions are revenge for his pro-Western politics, while the Georgian government insists the courts are acting independently. That argument is likely to keep running as long as he remains in hospital detention and appeals continue.
The international reaction has kept the case alive beyond Georgia. The European Union has repeatedly called for Saakashvili's release, the Council of Europe has branded him a political prisoner and Amnesty International has described his treatment as apparent political revenge. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has demanded that he be sent to Kyiv, a request that links the case to a wider struggle between pro-Western and pro-Russian currents in the region. That makes each new sentence both legal punishment and political message.
