How can one manage to create a list of political prisoners without including the most famous political prisoner of the country, the main opponent of Putin and Ivanishvili? - This unfair and brazen continuation of the "anti-Misha" campaign only damages the reputation of this organization, - reads the statement of the United National Movement.

According to the party, the report prepared by Transparency International - Georgia on the situation of political prisoners in Georgia is unfortunate, incomprehensible and alarming, in which the political imprisonment status of the third President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, and the entire cascade of Russian-style repressions carried out against him are ignored.

“Providing comprehensive and reliable information about the mass political repressions carried out by the Russian regime of Bidzina Ivanishvili to international political, judicial and humanitarian institutions and the media is an important act for dismantling the regime, and for human rights organizations it is an obligation of high professional and ethical standards.

For the United National Movement, as well as for the vast majority of Georgian citizens, the report prepared by Transparency International – Georgia on the situation of political prisoners in Georgia is regrettable, incomprehensible and alarming, in which the political imprisonment status of the third President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, and the entire cascade of Russian-style repressions carried out against him are ignored.

In the face of fundamental humanitarian and political values, the organization's reference to European criteria and time frames for political persecution seems inappropriate and demagogic, especially since virtually all relevant European institutions have adopted resolutions and decrees on the political persecution and torture of Mikheil Saakashvili.

Such facts unfortunately strengthen the suspicion in society that, in accordance with a narrow-minded and dishonest agenda, a number of political and civil actors are trying to limit the crimes and systemic political repressions of Ivanishvili's Russian regime to only the last few years and to divert the attention of both Georgia and the international community from the fact that Ivanishvili's criminal group has been unleashing mass and continuous terror on political opponents since 2012, immediately after seizing power.

How can one manage to create a list of political prisoners without including the most famous political prisoner of the country, the main opponent of Putin and Ivanishvili? When we talk about him as the main political prisoner, we are not engaged in party PR, but rather stating a fact. It is clear that Ivanishvili can allow all other political prisoners into the political arena, except for the third president of Georgia, whom the oligarch fears the most.

This unfair and impudent continuation of the “anti-Misha” campaign only harms the reputation of this organization, and not the historical fact known to the entire country and the civilized world about the persecution of Mikheil Saakashvili as a political prisoner of Putin and Ivanishvili.

In the wake of the approaching catastrophic defeat of Russia by Ukraine, the exposure of the crimes of Putin's puppets will also be on the world's political agenda, which our entire society must face consolidated and freed from the complexes and fears imposed by Russian propaganda, which such manipulations not only contribute to, but also seriously damage this perspective," reads the statement.

For information, according to an updated report published by the non-governmental organization Transparency International - Georgia, there are 91 political prisoners in Georgia. According to the organization, 91 people included in the list meet the criteria for political prisoners established by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.