“With a son like mine, life is never easy. Something is always happening to him, wherever he is.”
Tell us, please, how are you coping with your son’s imprisonment? For some people this is simply political persecution, but for you he is your son, your own flesh and blood.
That is true — and it is not only us who consider this political persecution. I think everyone already knows that, because there is no other reason for it. In 2021, when he returned to Georgia, nobody knew about it for the first three days, not even the government. But then there was most likely a betrayal, and he was immediately arrested. Since then, he has been held in different prisons, where he was beaten, had bones broken, and was later allegedly poisoned.
He survived by a miracle and then spent some time in a prison hospital, which was slightly better than a prison cell. After that, he was sent back behind bars.
The past few years have been the hardest, but with a son like mine, life has never been easy. Something is always happening to him, wherever he is.
You said there was a betrayal. A betrayal by someone in power, inside Georgian Dream? What did you mean?
No, these were people who organised his return. Something happened, but I cannot say anything definite because there is no information, only suspicion.
Why did he come back? Didn’t he realise he could be arrested? Did he not believe it, or was there some kind of agreement?
On the contrary, he expected that he could be arrested and was prepared for it.
Was he consciously taking this step?
Yes, consciously.
“Family can visit him only once a month”
We remember that after his arrest, Mikheil Saakashvili went on a 50-day hunger strike. What is his health condition now, after spending three years in a prison hospital and surviving beatings, poisoning, and hunger?
In the hospital, he gradually began to recover, although it took a long time. The doctors there did everything they could. But when he was returned to prison, and I saw him a month and a half later, I could barely recognise him. He looked like a completely different person. He was terribly swollen, and for some reason he had no hair left on his head… There is a cement plant next to the prison, so prisoners breathe in cement dust 24 hours a day, and this affects their health.
Do you consider it unfair that Mikheil Saakashvili was returned to prison in 2025, given that his health condition does not allow him to serve his sentence?
I cannot say much about his health, because even now, when he supposedly feels somewhat better, the swelling in his hands, legs, and face still has not gone away. He is alone in his cell. You understand, he is a person who used to be constantly on the move, 24 hours a day. And suddenly such a person is placed in solitary confinement. It must be extremely difficult for him there. I can imagine how hard it is. But somehow he is coping.
I mentioned earlier that he had been poisoned. This was confirmed in laboratory tests — his samples were examined both in Germany and in a laboratory in California. The diagnosis stated that he had been poisoned with heavy metals.
But to my surprise, some journalists now say there was only a “possibility” of [poisoning]. What does “possibility” mean when there was a clear conclusion?
I do not know how he survived back then. (In December 2022, American physician David Smith provided an expert conclusion stating that heavy metals and other substances, including mercury and arsenic, had been found in hair and nail samples from former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili. The samples were analysed by NMS Labs. Smith commented on the findings: “Most of these substances could not have entered Saakashvili’s body as a result of medical treatment.” — Ed.).
Are international doctors allowed to see Mikheil Saakashvili and conduct an independent medical examination? There were cases before when doctors were not allowed access to him.
Now things are much worse. Nobody is allowed to see him. Members of parliament have long been denied access. Only his lawyers are allowed to visit him. Family members can see him only once a month.
What about doctors?
There is a prison doctor there — supposedly that is enough. They say everything is fine with him, but I have serious doubts about that.
What does Mikheil himself say about his physical and emotional condition during your meetings?
We speak about that the least, because he is interested in completely different things: what is happening in the world, what is happening in our country, what people are thinking and feeling… Those are the things that interest him. And there is never enough time. The meetings happen like this: there is glass between us, we speak over the telephone, and everything is monitored and recorded. Time always runs short.
Does he not have access to information, television, or a phone?
There is a television, but not all channels are available. He has also been allowed to call his daughter. But overall, everything is restricted, everything is far from how it should be.
“Right now, my son’s approval rating is very high. That makes me very happy. But so far, it has not helped secure his release.”
What do you think could help free Mikheil Saakashvili from prison? Do you believe the courts could do it? Or would it require international pressure or possibly a pardon?
Here in Georgia, that is completely out of the question. The only reason he has been imprisoned for four years and seven months is that when Russian troops invaded Georgia in 2008, he did not surrender his country. That is the sole reason he was arrested. So personally, I do not expect any fairness or justice.
We are watching what is happening outside Georgia, including the war in Ukraine, where Russian troops also invaded, just as they did here in 2008. But there, too, everything has dragged on for so long. The war has already lasted longer than the Second World War. I no longer know when this may end.
And the situation in the Middle East is unstable as well.
And now another war has begun — Iran. All of this is very difficult.
Do you think international pressure could influence Georgia’s ruling elite?
In general, probably yes. For example, in 2008, when the invasion happened here, our partners and friends helped us enormously. My son always had many friends. Six presidents stood together on Rustaveli Avenue. The United States also provided tremendous support at the time. Otherwise, it would never have ended.
And regarding Mikheil’s release specifically?
So far, there has been [no success] in that regard. Although my son supposedly had many friends, especially among the countries surrounding Georgia: Turkey — Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ilham Aliyev in Azerbaijan, and now good relations with Nikol Pashinyan. But above all, it is Ukraine, from which we constantly expect support and do receive it. Of course, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is very actively involved in this. Mykhailo Podolyak as well — I am very grateful to him.
Poland, where he had many friends.
I remember how the current Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, who was hosting an EPP (European People’s Party) conference, dedicated the entire conference to my son. There was a table there with my son’s name on it, and no one was sitting at it.
Also Radosław Sikorski — my son considers him a friend, and he is indeed a friend, as is his wife Anne Applebaum, a very well-known historian. Jarosław Kaczyński was once very close to him and helped him in every possible way. Małgorzata Gosiewska, a Member of the European Parliament. Marco Rubio, even Donald Trump, with whom he had close relations. Some of these people are no longer with us: John McCain, with whom he had very close ties. Richard Holbrooke (American diplomat. — Ed.) — when the war started, this man, whose position was not directly related to our country, came and stayed in a hotel there, connecting Georgia with the entire world. Thanks to him, the media covered our war — everything was broadcast live. All these people helped a lot. But now, with so many problems everywhere, attention probably just doesn’t reach it anymore. More activity is needed. Not because he is my son. I believe that for the region — and not only for the region — he was a necessary person.
“His heart aches for you. Very much. He simply adores Ukraine, considers it his homeland, and is deeply distressed that in such a difficult time he cannot be more actively involved and help.”
What would you like to say to the people who influence the fate of Mikheil Saakashvili, and to his opponents who imprisoned him?
During this time that he has been in various prisons, people’s attitudes and opinions have begun to change. Even those who were opponents and critics are now gradually reconsidering their position. They compare it with what they have today, and now my son’s approval rating is very high. That makes me very happy. But so far, it has not helped to secure his release. It still hasn’t worked.
Unfortunately. In Ukraine, we are also rooting for his release, especially given his health condition.
I want to say that his heart hurts deeply for you. Very deeply. He simply adores Ukraine, considers it his homeland, and is very upset that during such a difficult time he cannot actively help and be involved.