Mikheil Saakashvili is a Georgian and Ukrainian politician and jurist.
129 Facts About Mikheil Saakashvili
2.
Mikheil Saakashvili was the third president of Georgia for two consecutive terms from 25 January 2004 to 17 November 2013.
3.
From May 2015 until November 2016, Saakashvili was the governor of Ukraine's Odesa Oblast.
4.
Mikheil Saakashvili is the founder and former chairman of the United National Movement party.
5.
Mikheil Saakashvili served as member of parliament and minister of justice under President Eduard Shevardnadze.
6.
Mikheil Saakashvili later moved to opposition, establishing the United National Movement party.
7.
In 2003, Mikheil Saakashvili became a leading opposition figure who accused the government of rigging the 2003 Georgian parliamentary election, spearheading mass protests which saw President Shevardnadze resign from his post in the bloodless Rose Revolution.
8.
However, his party suffered defeat in the 2012 Georgian parliamentary election, while Mikheil Saakashvili was barred by the constitution of Georgia from seeking a third term in the 2013 presidential election, which was won by the opposition candidate.
9.
Mikheil Saakashvili appointed Kakha Bendukidze as the Minister of Economy to implement economic liberalization and rapid privatization.
10.
Mikheil Saakashvili led Georgia through the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, which ended after five days of fighting by a ceasefire agreement negotiated by the French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
11.
Mikheil Saakashvili was embroiled in a number of scandals, the most important ones relating to the beating of the opposition politician Valery Gelashvili and the murder of Sandro Girgvliani.
12.
Mikheil Saakashvili was accused of being behind the inhuman treatment of inmates and police brutality.
13.
Mikheil Saakashvili continued to manage his party from abroad while accusing the Georgian government of using the legal system as a tool of political retribution.
14.
Mikheil Saakashvili supported Ukraine's Euromaidan movement and the Revolution of Dignity.
15.
Mikheil Saakashvili was granted Ukrainian citizenship, and due to restrictions on dual nationality under Georgian law, was stripped of his Georgian citizenship.
16.
On 7 November 2016, Mikheil Saakashvili resigned as governor while blaming President Poroshenko personally for enabling corruption in Odesa and in Ukraine overall.
17.
On 26 July 2017, Mikheil Saakashvili was stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship by Petro Poroshenko, and became a stateless person.
18.
Mikheil Saakashvili reentered Ukraine with a group of supporters through Poland but was arrested in February 2018 and deported.
19.
Mikheil Saakashvili moved to the Netherlands, where he was granted permanent residency.
20.
On 1 October 2021, Mikheil Saakashvili announced via Facebook his return to Georgia after an eight-year absence, on the eve of the local elections.
21.
The information initially was not confirmed by the MIA; however, later on the same day Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili held a press briefing, where he announced that Mikheil Saakashvili was arrested in Tbilisi.
22.
Mikheil Saakashvili illegally crossed the state border of Georgia, bypassing the customs control.
23.
Mikheil Saakashvili was placed in the No 12 penitentiary facility in Rustavi.
24.
Mikheil Saakashvili ended the hunger strike after reaching agreement with authorities that they would transfer him to Gori Military Hospital for medical treatment.
25.
On 12 May 2022, Mikheil Saakashvili was moved to the civilian clinic, where he has been receiving treatment as of 2023.
26.
Mikheil Saakashvili was born to a Georgian family in Tbilisi on 21 December 1967, capital of the then Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic in the Soviet Union.
27.
Mikheil Saakashvili's father, Nikoloz Saakashvili, is a physician who practises medicine in Tbilisi and directs a local balneological centre.
28.
Mikheil Saakashvili's mother, Giuli Alasania, is a historian who lectures at Tbilisi State University.
29.
Mikheil Saakashvili graduated from the Institute of International Relations of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv in 1992.
30.
Mikheil Saakashvili stood in the December 1995 elections along with Zhvania, and both men won seats in parliament, standing for the Union of Citizens of Georgia, Shevardnadze's party.
31.
Mikheil Saakashvili was chairman of the parliamentary committee which was in charge of creating a new electoral system, an independent judiciary and a non-political police force.
32.
Mikheil Saakashvili was named "man of the year" by a panel of journalists and human rights advocates in 1997.
33.
In January 2000, Mikheil Saakashvili was appointed vice-president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
34.
On 12 October 2000, Mikheil Saakashvili became Minister of Justice for the government of President Shevardnadze.
35.
Mikheil Saakashvili initiated major reforms in the Georgian criminal justice and prisons system.
36.
Mikheil Saakashvili faced major problems particularly Georgia's difficult economic situation and the still unresolved question of separatism in the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
37.
Mikheil Saakashvili was sworn in as president in Tbilisi on 25 January 2004.
38.
The crisis threatened to develop into an armed confrontation, but Mikheil Saakashvili's government managed to resolve the conflict peacefully, forcing Abashidze to resign on 6 May 2004.
39.
In late July 2006, Mikheil Saakashvili's government dealt successfully with another major crisis, this time in Abkhazia's Kodori Gorge where Georgia's police forces disarmed a defiant militia led by a local warlord Emzar Kvitsiani.
40.
The Mikheil Saakashvili-led Rose Revolution has been described by the White House as one of the most powerful movements in the modern history that has inspired others to seek freedom.
41.
Mikheil Saakashvili systematically fired politicians, public officials, and police officers suspected of corruption and significantly raised the salaries of state employees to the point where they could depend on their salaries rather than bribes for a living.
42.
Mikheil Saakashvili reformed the economy by cutting red tape which had made business difficult, courting foreign investment, simplifying the tax code, launching a privatization campaign, and tackling widespread tax evasion.
43.
Mikheil Saakashvili's government decriminalized libel and pushed through legislation upholding freedom of speech, although he was accused of stifling the media and using the judicial system to go after his political opponents in spite of this.
44.
In December 2006, Mikheil Saakashvili signed a constitutional amendment completely abolishing the death penalty in law.
45.
When Mikheil Saakashvili took office, the university entrance system was bribe-based, with a university spot costing up to $50,000 in 2003.
46.
Mikheil Saakashvili's government introduced a common entrance exam, replacing the bribe-based system with a merit-based one.
47.
Mikheil Saakashvili sees membership of the NATO as a premise of stability for Georgia and offered an intensified dialogue with the de facto Abkhaz and Ossetian authorities.
48.
Mikheil Saakashvili's administration doubled the number of its troops in Iraq, making Georgia one of the biggest supporters of Coalition Forces, and keeping its troops in Kosovo and Afghanistan to "contribute to what it describes as global security".
49.
Mikheil Saakashvili's government maintained diplomatic relations with other Caucasian states and Eastern European countries with Western orientation, such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine.
50.
In 2004, Mikheil Saakashvili visited Israel to attend the official opening of the Modern Energy Problems Research Center, and Dr Brenda Schaffer, the director of the centre, described Mikheil Saakashvili as the Nelson Mandela of the 21st century.
51.
Mikheil Saakashvili believes that the long-term priority for the country is to advance its membership in the European Community and during a meeting with Javier Solana, he said that in contrast with new and old European states, Georgia is an Ancient European state.
52.
Mikheil Saakashvili was convicted of the attempted assassinations of Saakashvili and Bush and the murder of the agent, and given a life sentence.
53.
On 8 November 2007, President Mikheil Saakashvili announced a compromise solution to hold early presidential elections for 5 January 2008.
54.
Mikheil Saakashvili publicly announced his plans of modernising the Cabinet of Georgia well before Georgian presidential elections.
55.
On 28 October 2008, Mikheil Saakashvili proposed Grigol Mgaloblishvili, Georgian ambassador to Turkey for the premiership.
56.
Demonstrations against Mikheil Saakashvili spread across Georgia in 2009,2011 and 2012.
57.
On 22 February 2008, Mikheil Saakashvili held an official meeting with the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, in his residence in Novo-Ogaryovo.
58.
The Georgian military's capabilities were severely damaged by the war, and Mikheil Saakashvili's government moved to rebuild them, massively increasing military spending.
59.
The pressure against Mikheil Saakashvili intensified in 2009, when the opposition launched mass demonstrations against Mikheil Saakashvili's rule.
60.
On 2 October 2012, Mikheil Saakashvili admitted defeat in Georgia's parliamentary election against Bidzina Ivanishvili in the election the day before.
61.
Mikheil Saakashvili was barred from seeking a third term in the 2013 presidential election.
62.
In December 2013, Mikheil Saakashvili accepted the position of lecturer and senior statesman at Tufts University in the United States.
63.
Mikheil Saakashvili was to be questioned as a witness for nine criminal cases, including the death of the Prime Minister of Georgia Zurab Zhvania in 2005.
64.
On 13 August 2014, Mikheil Saakashvili was charged with embezzling budget funds.
65.
Mikheil Saakashvili stated on 1 June 2015 that he had given up Georgian citizenship to avoid "guaranteed imprisonment" in Georgia.
66.
Mikheil Saakashvili energetically supported Ukraine's Euromaidan movement and its Revolution of Dignity.
67.
On 7 March 2014, Mikheil Saakashvili authored an op-ed piece entitled "When Putin invaded my country", in the context of the turmoil in Ukraine after the ouster on 22 February of President Viktor Yanukovych and before the 16 March referendum in the 2014 Crimean crisis.
68.
In September 2014, Mikheil Saakashvili moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York.
69.
Mikheil Saakashvili stated on 1 June 2015 that he had now changed his mind to avoid "guaranteed imprisonment" in Georgia and to defend Georgian interest through his governorship in Odesa.
70.
On 4 December 2015, Mikheil Saakashvili was stripped of his Georgian citizenship due to restrictions on dual nationality under Georgian law.
71.
Mikheil Saakashvili claimed that this was done to prevent him from leading the United National Movement in the 2016 Georgian parliamentary election.
72.
In December 2015, Mikheil Saakashvili started an anti-corruption NGO Movement for Purification.
73.
Mikheil Saakashvili submitted his resignation as governor on 7 November 2016 citing corruption in Ukraine as a main reason.
74.
On 28 July 2017, Mikheil Saakashvili told Newshour he wanted to return to Ukraine to "get rid of the old corrupt elite" there.
75.
On 5 December 2017, Mikheil Saakashvili was temporarily detained by Ukraine's Security Service on the roof of his apartment building in central Kyiv and his apartment was searched.
76.
Mikheil Saakashvili was freed from police by a large group of protesters.
77.
Mikheil Saakashvili's lawyer reported that the politician had been detained for attempting to overthrow Ukraine's constitutional system, whilst the SBU accused Mikheil Saakashvili of receiving financing from a "criminal group" linked to ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
78.
Mikheil Saakashvili was banned from entering Ukraine until 2021 by the Ukrainian border service.
79.
Mikheil Saakashvili claimed that his Georgian bodyguards and supporters had in recent months been kidnapped, tortured and deported to Georgia.
80.
On 14 February 2018, Mikheil Saakashvili showed up in the Netherlands, having been granted permanent residency there on the basis of family reunification.
81.
On 29 May 2019, Mikheil Saakashvili returned to Ukraine; but he soon stated that he had no political ambitions in Ukraine.
82.
On 4 June, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko offered Mikheil Saakashvili to join the leadership of his UDAR party and to take part in the July 2019 early parliamentary elections.
83.
Two days before the election, Mikheil Saakashvili had called on his supporters to vote for the Servant of the People party at the election.
84.
Mikheil Saakashvili wrote on his Facebook page on 22 April 2020 that he had received a proposal from President Zelenskyy to become Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for reforms in the Shmyhal Government.
85.
Mikheil Saakashvili continued to manage the United National Movement party from abroad, while accusing the Georgian government of using the legal system as a tool of political retribution.
86.
Ahead of the 2016 Georgian parliamentary election, Mikheil Saakashvili said that he was confident that "we [the United National Movement] are winning the election" and promised to return to Georgia and take part in forming a new government.
87.
Founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili accused Mikheil Saakashvili of planning to stir disorders, which Mikheil Saakashvili denied and in turn accused Ivanishvili of "blaming opponents for what he himself is planning".
88.
On 26 September 2016, Mikheil Saakashvili addressed his supporters at the United National Movement's campaign rally in Zugdidi via video link from Odesa, telling them that the victory is "inevitable".
89.
Meanwhile, members of the UNM-affiliated group, Free Zone, held press briefing in Tbilisi, accusing Mikheil Saakashvili of instructing the leader of the organization Koba Khabazi to prepare for staging disorders.
90.
Mikheil Saakashvili denied the authenticity of the conversation and accused Bidzina Ivanishvili of trying to "avoid unavoidable defeat".
91.
On 4 October 2016, Mikheil Saakashvili accused Ivanishvili of being behind the explosion of car belonging to United National Movement MP Givi Targamadze, alleging that Ivanishvili was trying to "get rid of" Targamadze because he "has been keeping active contacts with the law enforcement [officers], which scares Ivanishvili very much".
92.
On 5 October 2016, Mikheil Saakashvili addressed his supporters via video link in Tbilisi, saying that three days were left before his return to Georgia.
93.
Mikheil Saakashvili expressed his support for boycotting the Parliament, a step which other leaders of the United National Movement described as a "suicide for the party".
94.
Mikheil Saakashvili slammed the decision and said that he has no desire to maintain contact with "one or two whimsical persons" from UNM, accusing them of "prescribing defeat" for the party.
95.
Since Mikheil Saakashvili was deprived of Georgian citizenship, he lost his right to be UNM's chairman.
96.
Some influential members of the party expressed support for leaving the position vacant to avoid distancing the party from Mikheil Saakashvili and said that they would raise the issue on congress.
97.
Mikheil Saakashvili supported the idea of holding congress, while some members of the party, under the leadership of Giga Bokeria and Davit Bakradze, accused Mikheil Saakashvili of "hijacking" the congress organization in circumvention of the political council.
98.
Mikheil Saakashvili thanked loyal members of the party for opposing efforts to "distance me from the party" and what he called "Ivanishvili's attempt to take over the United National Movement".
99.
Mikheil Saakashvili voiced the common belief among the UNM voters that these defections were encouraged by the ruling Georgian Dream Coalition in order to weaken its opposition.
100.
On 24 March 2019, Mikheil Saakashvili was succeeded as the UNM party's chairman by his own nominee, Grigol Vashadze.
101.
On 1 October 2021, Mikheil Saakashvili claimed to have returned to Georgia after an eight-year absence, and called on his followers to march on the capital, Tbilisi.
102.
The Georgian police claimed that Mikheil Saakashvili had not crossed the country's border.
103.
Mikheil Saakashvili was arrested later on 1 October 2021 in Georgia, after illegally crossing the border.
104.
Mikheil Saakashvili began a hunger strike in protest of what he considered as the state's refusal to give him a fair trial on charges which he thought would "destroy him and Georgia".
105.
Nika Melia, a leader of the United National Movement, came under criticism for ending a demonstration without presenting a plan of action or scheduling further protests, some even questioning his ability to lead the party and his loyalty to Mikheil Saakashvili, pointing at the alleged internal power struggle within the party between Melia and Mikheil Saakashvili.
106.
On 8 November 2021, Mikheil Saakashvili was moved to Gldani penitentiary hospital.
107.
Georgia's rights ombudsman stated that Mikheil Saakashvili was not being given proper medical care and was being abused by fellow inmates.
108.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated he would work to ensure Mikheil Saakashvili's release, as Mikheil Saakashvili is a Ukrainian citizen who was stripped of his Georgian citizenship in 2015.
109.
Mikheil Saakashvili was transferred to a Gori military hospital, against his wishes to be taken to a civilian hospital.
110.
On 12 December 2021, Otar Toidze, a doctor with Georgia's human rights commissioner said Mikheil Saakashvili was in need of specialist treatment abroad.
111.
On 12 May 2022, Mikheil Saakashvili was transferred to a civilian clinic in Tbilisi.
112.
On 28 June 2022, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has published declaration, in which they have said that Mikheil Saakashvili has to be treated immediately in a special institution abroad.
113.
On 1 December 2022, Mikheil Saakashvili's lawyers appealed the court to either postpone Mikheil Saakashvili's sentence or release him from prison on medical grounds.
114.
Mikheil Saakashvili appeared to have lost a lot of weight, as evidenced by protruding ribs and stomach.
115.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the Georgian government of "publicly torturing" Ukrainian citizen Mikheil Saakashvili and trying to "kill" him.
116.
Mikheil Saakashvili stated that there is no relevant evidence of Saakashvili being tortured and noted that the state "can not be held responsible for self-harm by the inmate, including his refusal to follow medical prescriptions".
117.
Mikheil Saakashvili later blamed authorities and Saakashvili for ordering his attack.
118.
Mikheil Saakashvili was banned from taking any state post for two years and three months.
119.
Mikheil Saakashvili received widespread criticism for his handling of the 2007 Georgian demonstrations, which were violently dispersed by the police using heavy-handed tactics.
120.
Mikheil Saakashvili came under criticism for using rubber bullets and tear gas against protesters who were blocking Tbilisi's main transport artery, Rustaveli Avenue.
121.
Mikheil Saakashvili has been accused of corruption and amassing wealth after coming into power by his political opponents.
122.
The opposition accused then president Mikheil Saakashvili of overseeing a system of elite corruption encompassing oil and minerals.
123.
Mikheil Saakashvili denied accusations of his political opponents, claiming that his administration has been one of the most successful in eliminating corruption.
124.
Mikheil Saakashvili accused his opponents of spreading lies and not being honest.
125.
Mikheil Saakashvili is married to Dutch linguist Sandra Roelofs, whom he met in Strasbourg in 1993.
126.
Apart from his native Georgian, Mikheil Saakashvili speaks fluent English, French, Russian and Ukrainian, and has some command of Ossetian and Spanish.
127.
Mikheil Saakashvili enjoys exercise and has in the past often been seen in public on his bicycle.
128.
Mikheil Saakashvili's government has been lauded by the World Bank for making "striking improvements" in the fight against corruption.
129.
Mikheil Saakashvili was portrayed by Cuban-American Hollywood actor Andy Garcia in the 2010 Hollywood film 5 Days of War by Finnish-American film director Renny Harlin.