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I am a political prisoner in Georgia, and I am dying

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I am a political prisoner in Georgia, and I am dying


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Mikheil Saakashvili served as president of the Republic of Georgia from 2004 to 2007 and from to 2008 to 2013. 

Since February marked the one-year anniversary of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s maniacal and unprovoked army invasion of Ukraine, Georgia and different international locations within the area have continued sliding towards the Kremlin. Georgia’s democratic regression was once more highlighted with the discharge of the USA State Division’s Human Rights Report, whereas the worldwide menace to democracy was showcased throughout a gathering between Putin and President Xi Jinping of China final month.  

On the similar time, nonetheless, folks of Georgia confirmed their dedication to democracy and the struggle in opposition to such tyranny by protesting within the streets in entrance of the parliament constructing in downtown Tbilisi.  

The folks of Georgia — who overwhelmingly need to be a part of the European Union and NATO — have been protesting in opposition to a newly promulgated “international brokers” legislation, which might require any group receiving over 20 p.c of their funding from abroad to register, or face prison prices and substantial fines. Analogous to a present Russian legislation, the invoice was focused to limit the work of unbiased journalists and democratic establishments.   

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This all occurred only some miles from the jail cell the place I battle to remain alive, and the place I, too, proceed to defend democracy in opposition to Putin and his allies. I’m a political prisoner in Georgia — the nation I led as president from 2004 to 2013 and labored laborious to reorient towards democracy and the West.  

After simply months in energy, I used to be praised by leaders in Europe and the U.S. for championing democracy and free markets, and ending a interval of de facto management over my nation by organized prison syndicates. In 2005, I used to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain for “having gained in style help for the common values of democracy, particular person liberty and civil rights.”   

Feeling threatened by the success of Georgia’s Western-oriented reforms, in August 2008, Putin ordered the invasion of Georgia, ensuing a quick struggle. Fairly than flee, I, like my buddy Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was decided to struggle and stand as much as Putin’s aggression. After the struggle, Russia managed over 20 p.c of Georgia’s territory, which it nonetheless holds right now — the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia — however I survived and continued to guide till stepping down after my second time period.  

I then presided over the primary peaceable switch of energy caused by democratic elections within the area. 

At the moment, and for a number of years after the struggle in 2008, I attempted to warn my Western colleagues about Putin’s imperialist ambitions and the menace he posed. However whereas the West expressed much-needed help and solidarity with our trigger, few appeared to take the specter of Putin’s militarism significantly. Apparently, the Kremlin’s ridiculous narrative that my authorities one way or the other provoked the struggle had sewn sufficient doubt for a lot of within the West to persuade themselves that Putin didn’t have broader revanchist goals.    

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After all, the struggle in Ukraine has laid naked Putin’s true imperialist ambitions to revive the Soviet empire by annexing its previously held territories, however I derive no satisfaction from being confirmed proper. For the person who as soon as threatened to “cling me by the balls” is, undoubtedly, finally accountable for my present predicament.    

Georgian Dream, the political social gathering that got here to energy after I stepped down, was established and continues to be run, behind the scenes, by billionaire oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili — a person who made his fortune in Nineties Moscow and is extensively understood to have shut ties with Putin.  

And regardless of overwhelming help among the many Georgian folks for EU integration — an estimated 80 p.c help becoming a member of — the Georgian Dream authorities reveals growing solidarity with Russia. Whereas there may be, in fact, official apprehension about being overtly hostile to the Kremlin given the hazard Georgia faces, the overwhelming majority of Georgians help the Ukrainian trigger, which the federal government is trying to suppress.

The struggle in Ukraine has shed a lightweight on Putin’s true imperialist ambitions to revive the Soviet empire | Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Pictures

After I returned to Georgia in October 2021, after eight years in exile, to help free and honest parliamentary elections, I used to be a wholesome, energetic 54-year-old man. I used to be then instantly arrested by Georgian authorities and have been imprisoned ever since primarily based upon rumour and politically motivated prices of “abuse of energy,” which solely the Kremlin and the present Georgian authorities contemplate official.   

And in detention, my well being has declined precipitously; I’m now dying.  

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I’ve been systematically tortured, bodily and psychologically, and there may be at the moment proof of heavy steel poisoning in my physique. I now undergo from a bewildering array of over 20 critical diseases, all of which developed in confinement.  

In gentle of all this, in mid-February, the European Parliament issued a decision calling for my launch and, noting Georgia’s democratic backsliding, it handed nonbinding resolutions calling for sanctions in opposition to Ivanishvili. In the meantime, the Georgian Dream authorities continues to mock Western leaders, gleefully overseeing a speedy drift away from a European future for Georgia, as peaceable civilians are crushed and tear gassed for supporting democratic beliefs.   

Regardless of Georgia’s deteriorating relations with the U.S., senators Jeanne Shaheen and Dick Durbin lately visited Tbilisi to satisfy with authorities officers. And whereas the senators’ request to go to me in jail was predictably rejected, I recognize their curiosity in my well being and well-being. I additionally commend present Congressional leaders, reminiscent of representatives Joe Wilson and Steve Cohen and senators Roger Wicker and Ben Cardin, for his or her efforts in opposition to the assaults on Georgia’s strategic partnerships and the jailing of political opponents, in addition to their opposition to Georgia’s international agent legislation — a rebuke to the Georgian folks’s EU and NATO aspirations — and the nation’s speedy democratic decline.  

With out the assistance of Congress and the Biden administration, alongside the EU and U.Okay. parliaments, the present authorities will proceed to show a blind eye not solely to democracy however the rule of legislation, and the elemental pillars of human rights will proceed to erode in Georgia. 

It’s also more and more obvious that I’ll die quickly if I don’t obtain correct medical care exterior of the nation.  

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I proceed to name on the U.S. and the worldwide neighborhood to do what they’ll to avoid wasting my life by making use of diplomatic strain on the Georgian authorities, and imposing financial sanctions in opposition to Ivanishvili and his associates.  

My loss of life could trigger political chaos in Georgia, however my martyrdom will definitely be thought-about a victory for Putin — a strong image to all leaders on this area, and probably the world, who fail to face as much as Russian imperialism.    

If, nonetheless, the U.S. Congress and the Biden administration can work with the EU to safe my launch by means of sanctions, financial embargoes, the suspension of funding and visa restrictions, it is not going to solely be one other blow to Putin, however it would additionally ship a robust sign that the U.S. and Europe stay dedicated to the beliefs of democracy, decency and justice. 

Beliefs that President Biden as soon as advised me I may depend on.

*This piece was obtained from Mikheil Saakashvili’s U.S. authorized counsel, Massimo F. D’Angelo.

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Georgia

Georgia police arrest two opposition leaders at protest

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Georgia police arrest two opposition leaders at protest


Georgian police arrested two opposition leaders during a street protest against the ruling party on Sunday, a moved quickly denounced by the European Union, which condemned Tbilisi’s “brutal crackdown”.

The Black Sea nation has been rocked by daily mass protests since the Georgian Dream party claimed victory in October parliamentary elections rejected by the opposition as falsified.

Its critics accuse the government of democratic backsliding and of moving Tbilisi closer to Russia.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement on November 28 that his cabinet would not pursue the opening of European Union membership talks with Brussels until 2028 further fuelled the demonstrations.

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On Sunday, police detained the leader of the liberal pro-European Akhali party, Nika Melia, and former Tbilisi mayor Gigi Ugulava, a prominent opposition figure, an AFP reporter saw.

The arrests — condemned by the EU’s top diplomat — were made as thousands of demonstrators attempted to block a highway entrance to the capital, Tbilisi.

Melia told journalists that a senior police official had kicked him while in the police station.

Melia’s lawyer said that the politician was “arrested on an administrative offence charge” and released from custody shortly after midnight after signing a written promise to appear in court.

Both Melia and Ugulava had spent years in prison under Georgian Dream’s rule on charges that rights groups have denounced as politically motivated.

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Several other people were also detained during the protest, with at least one appearing to have been injured.

The independent TV station Pirveli aired footage showing police brutally beating detained protesters.

– ‘Democracy on the line’ –

Late on Sunday, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas blasted the arrests.

“The brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters, journalists and politicians tonight in Tbilisi is unacceptable,” Kallas wrote on X.

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“Georgia falls short of any expectation from a candidate country. The EU stands with the people of Georgia in their fight for freedom and democracy,” she added.

Georgia’s rights ombudsman, Levan Ioseliani, warned in a statement of “instances of mistreatment and excessive use of force by the police against citizens, journalists, and politicians”.

At the protest itself, 22-year-old university student Kote Baramia, told AFP: “All this police violence just proves the government is scared.

“Georgians will not back down, our democracy is on the line.”

The head of the Tbilisi police special task department, Zviad Kharazishvili — sanctioned by Britain and the United States for human rights violations — was heard hurling obscenities at demonstrators.

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Demonstrators marched for kilometres towards the parliament building, the site of their daily protests, blocking traffic along Tbilisi’s main avenue.

Before the rally, the interior ministry issued a statement warning demonstrators that blocking the highway “is a criminal offence punishable by up to four years in prison”.

In the first wave of protests that began in late November, riot police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowds, arresting more than 400 demonstrators, according to the interior ministry.

Ioseliani — Georgia’s top human-rights official — and Amnesty International have accused police of torturing those arrested.

– Unprecedented crisis –

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Georgian rights activists have denounced what they say is a mounting campaign of intimidation, beatings and arrests against those taking to the streets.

Tbilisi’s security forces and judiciary have faced persistent accusations of repression against the ruling party’s opponents.

The Georgian Dream government faces growing international isolation and mounting claims of democratic backsliding.

On Monday, Brussels suspended visa-free travel to the EU for Georgian diplomats and officials. It cited the adoption of several repressive laws and the “violent repression by Georgian authorities against peaceful protesters, politicians, and independent media”.

Last year, the United States and several European countries imposed sanctions on Georgian officials, pointing to the Tbilisi government’s drift toward Russia and its violent crackdown on protesters and dissent following the disputed election.

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Besides the largest anti-government protest movement in its history, Georgia is also grappling with an unprecedented constitutional crisis, as the opposition refuses to enter the newly elected parliament.

Pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili has declared both the legislature and the government illegitimate.

Her successor — ruling party loyalist and far-right politician Mikheil Kavelashvili — was inaugurated on December 29 following a controversial election procedure, but Zurabishvili has insisted that she remains the legitimate leader.

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Tide Roll over Georgia 90-69

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Tide Roll over Georgia 90-69


HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) – The 4th ranked Alabama Men’s Basketball team extended its winning streak to five straight with a convincing 90-69 over Georgia in front of a sold out crowd inside Coleman Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.

Mark Sears collected his 13th game of 20 or more points this season, as he led the The Crimson Tide (19-3, 8-1 SEC) with a game high 20 points to go along with six assists and five boards. Grant Nelson secured his team-leading sixth double-double in the win, finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds and a career high five blocks. Aiden Sherrell (12), Aden Holloway (10) and Chris Youngblood (10) also scored in double figures in the victory.

Georgia (15-7, 3-6 SEC) was led by Asa Newell, who scored 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting, to go along with seven rebounds.

“Unbelievable effort from our guys, really the effort we’ve been looking for outside of the start to the second half. You take that four minutes out, which I wasn’t really happy with that effort, but the other 36 minutes, I thought we played really hard,” Alabama Head Coach Nate Oats said postgame.

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“Outrebounded a really good team by 16 and still scored 20 even though we had 20 turnovers. Now, we’ve got to fix the turnovers. Obviously, it’s a major problem, and 12 of those 20 were from three of our fifth-year seniors, which shouldn’t be the case, but I thought those guys kind of set the tone.”

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Former Georgia 5-star OL emerges at Senior Bowl

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Former Georgia 5-star OL emerges at Senior Bowl


MOBILE, Ala. — Clay Webb has a Georgia national championship ring. It’s stuffed in a safety deposit box, where he can’t show it off. He has no desire to do so.

It’s a reminder of lost playing time, a lawsuit and giving up on a career that analysts had thought of as a sure thing.

“Three and a half years ago, I never imagined playing football again,” Webb said. “I kind of thought my dream was over.”

And yet Webb is at the Senior Bowl, a guard outdueling Kentucky’s Deone Walker, a possible first-round NFL draft pick, because of a short drive he made to see if Jacksonville State, the FCS school near his home, had any interest in a former five-star offensive lineman.

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Webb was a consensus five-star, rated No. 26 nationally by the 247Sports Composite in the 2019 class, seven spots ahead of Bo Nix and nine spots ahead of Jayden Daniels, both now thriving NFL quarterbacks.

Webb enrolled early at Georgia and played in four games as a true freshman. Then, in early in 2020, Webb was sued as one of three defendants accused of a bullying incident in 2018 at Oxford (Ala.) High School. Another then-student at the high school accused Webb of making him drink a cup with semen in it. The federal lawsuit has still not been resolved, and Webb said Wednesday his lawyers have told him not to comment on it. (The University of Georgia released a statement in 2020 that read: “While we cannot comment on this individual student matter, we review allegations of misconduct by our student-athletes and hold accountable those that do not meet our expectations.” UGA did not respond to messages this week when reached by The Athletic.)

Webb had trouble cracking the Georgia lineup and appeared in just three games the next season. The following season he didn’t play at all, sometimes not even suiting up as Georgia won the national championship.

“I just felt like I wasn’t needed at Georgia,” Webb said.

So he entered the transfer portal after spring practice, but without any real plans. He said he wanted to be with his family, as his grandfather was battling health problems, having his leg amputated. Webb supported his grandfather and mother and mulled his own future.

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“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” he said. “At that point in my life there was a lot of stuff going on. I was trying to figure things out as a man, what my dreams were.”

Webb decided football wasn’t completely off his mind. He doesn’t remember how long he considered himself retired — “it was awhile” — but at some point the summer of 2022 he made the 25-minute drive to Jacksonville State, just showing up and asking if the Gamecocks had any interest. The offensive line coach was, and still is, Rick Trickett, who has coached nearly 40 future pros in his long career, including the 2013 Florida State national champions. Trickett gave Webb an on-the-spot tryout — in the hallway of the Jacksonville State offices.

“I wanna see you do some snaps first,” Trickett said, according to Webb.

So Webb, wearing blue jeans and whatever shirt he picked that day, made a good impression.

Webb didn’t start until the fifth game of his first season. But once he did, he stuck in the lineup, starting the next two seasons, making Conference USA first team in 2024, and getting another ring — when Jacksonville State won the conference championship. That ring, Webb said, means more to him than the Georgia national one.

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“Football means a whole lot to me, and it’s been something special in my life for a whole long time,” he said. “But at that point (after leaving Georgia) I was thinking maybe I’m not good enough, or maybe wasn’t able to do this for a living.”

Rich Rodriguez was Jacksonville State’s head coach until returning to West Virginia after this last season.

“I loved coaching Clay,” Rodriguez said through a university spokesman. “He works really hard, has a hard edge and was one of our most consistent players at Jacksonville State. He has a humble personality, is an outstanding player and will be a real asset to any team in the NFL.”

To that end, Webb got the Senior Bowl invite. An AFC scout attending the Senior Bowl, given anonymity in order to be candid, offered this up to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler on Webb: “He was fine when I saw him in September. But his name kept popping up midseason so I revisited him and thought he was getting better and better. And I think that’s continued here. Good to see him at center during practice. Strong dude.”

Webb was asked if he feels again like the guy who was a five-star.

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“No. I believe I’ve learned from that point,” he said. “Not to care about rankings, but who I am as a person, and how better I can get every day.”

(Photo of Webb (left) at the Senior Bowl: Vasha Hunt / Imagn Images)



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