Former Georgian leader seeks swap as ‘civilian prisoner of war’

Jailed former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday to be included in a list of prisoners for exchange as a "civilian prisoner of war."

Following his transfer from a clinic back to a prison in Georgia, Saakashvili published an appeal on Facebook, emphasizing that he is a Ukrainian citizen, former head of the Odesa Regional State Administration and chairman of Ukraine's National Reform Council.

He asked Zelenskyy to grant him this status due to his "illegal detention by the pro-Russian regime of Georgia."

The appeal came after Georgia's Special Penitentiary Service announced his return to Rustavi Prison, stating that his health was "satisfactory."

Saakashvili contested this, claiming the move forces him back under the supervision of the same prison staff he alleges poisoned him in March 2022.

Saakashvili left Georgia in 2013. In absentia, he was convicted on charges he denounces as "politically motivated."

His dramatic return to Georgia in October 2021 led to his immediate arrest. While serving his sentence, his health severely deteriorated, leading to his transfer to a clinic in Tbilisi in May 2022 for treatment.

Saakashvili is expected to remain in custody until 2034.

He is serving a prison sentence for convictions on charges including abuse of power and illegal border crossing, which he claims are politically motivated

The investigation into the illegal border crossing began on Oct. 1, 2021, when Saakashvili was detained after secretly returning to Georgia from Ukraine on the night of Sept. 28-29, just before 2021 local elections.