Former President of Georgia
Mikheil Saakashvili

Place of birth

Tbilisi

Biography

Graduated from Kyiv University, Faculty of International Law in 1992; In 1993 he received a diploma from the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Worked at the Norwegian Institute of Human Rights in Oslo, then at the Human Rights Committee of the Provisional State Council of Georgia, and then at the New York Law Firm "Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler"; He graduated from Columbia University School of Law in 1994 with a Master’s degree, and the following year attended lectures at George Washington University School of Law. He studied at the European Academy of Law in Florence and the Academy of International Law in The Hague; 2000-2001 he was the Minister of Justice of Georgia; 2002-2003 Chairman of Tbilisi City Council; On February 13, 2015, he was appointed Chairman of the International Advisory Board for Reforms in Ukraine.

United National Movement Party, Founder and Leader (2001-);

Parliament of the 4th convocation of Georgia, Member (1995-1999);

Committee on Constitutional and Legal Issues and Lawfulness of the Parliament of Georgia of the 4th convocation, Chairman (1995-1998);

Union of Citizens of Georgia parliamentary faction (4th convocation), Chairman (1998-1999);

Parliament of Georgia of the 5th convocation, Member (1999-2000);

Union of Citizens of Georgia, member (1995-);

President of Georgia (2004-2013)

Awards, prizes

2009 - Order of Honor of the Republic of Armenia;

2008 - Medal of Honor "10 years in Astana";

2006 - Honorary Doctor of the University of Haifa;

2005 - Man of the Year in Ukraine;

2005 - American Bar Association Award for Fighting for Law and Order;

2004 - Annual European of the Year Award from non-EU countries;

Gold Medal and Honorary Doctor of Yerevan State University

Shalva Papuashvili: There was pressure claiming that Saakashvili was dying, but we saw that not only did nothing happen to him, he even had a child; now Eka Gigauri has been tasked with securing the release of the dictator - She is a pawn in all of this, so it is important to establish who is financing her
Irakli Kobakhidze: Transparency International Georgia no longer refrains from openly showing political bias
Levan Machavariani on Transparency International including Saakashvili on its list of political prisoners: They felt bullied by Saakashvili and apparently could not withstand the pressure, which is why they included him - Saakashvili is not a political prisoner
Transparency International Georgia – Mikheil Saakashvili’s name will be included in the list of political prisoners compiled by our organization
Levan Khabeishvili: I’m trying to tell you the truth: staged faces, books in the background, and making a fool of people, deceiving them into thinking that our fate is decided in Brussels or “Ashgabat” - but what about action?! The people?! What are we doing?! When?! - Don’t take offense, but you’re quite a bunch of ridiculous people
Irakli Cheishvili – Irakli Gharibashvili himself used to say that there was no pressure and that Georgia had no political prisoners—did the count begin with Gharibashvili? Is he the first political prisoner?! Let him name who else the political prisoners are!
Ani Nadareishvili: I have become a member of the United National Movement’s Political Council - I believe that, no matter how difficult today may be, the best future for our country is still ahead
Shalva Papuashvili: EU membership holds no value for Georgia without Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region—everyone needs to remember this and stop testing the waters
Shalva Papuashvili: Armaz Akhvlediani’s political project is being funded to brainwash people - when you fund a political project led by a radical politician, it constitutes political funding and it must be determined whether approval was obtained
Akaki Bobokhidze: The opposition has not done even a tenth of what is needed to exert real pressure on the government - what is happening in society is not fatigue but rather disappointment and a lack of expectations - this is caused by the opposition’s lack of preparedness
Shalva Papuashvili: Europe views Ukraine as its own line of defense - they do not have to fight themselves, and German, French and Lithuanian blood is not being shed - this shows how cold-blooded international politics is
Mikheil Saakashvili: Tying Georgia entirely to Russian tourists is an act of sabotage by the “Georgian Dream,” and the fact that they blame me for this is the result of deliberate harmful actions - my policy was based on bringing Russian tourists into Georgia in limited numbers and under strict control
Irakli Rukhadze on the November 7 case: In fact, this is what killed Badri; I saw him before his death; he was in deep depression, walking in the forest, not talking to his family; I know that Patarkatsishvili gave Targamadze a recording to air, but "Targamadze is not airing it"
Mikheil Saakashvili: This is not the time for settling scores; let’s get rid of these people first, and then maybe I’ll part ways with you and you can go to hell - as for the November 7 case, in the meantime I had a son who started school, I had a grandchild, and your hair has fallen out too
Tina Bokuchava: Arresting Giorgi Baramidze on charges of treason is an act of extreme cynicism by a regime that accustoms us to a daily chronicle of betrayal
Touring Georgia with young Georgians as Partners