Saakashvili to Sue Ukraine’s Migration Service for Not Granting Him Asylum

Ex-President of Georgia and former Governor of Ukraine’s Odessa Oblast, Mikheil Saakashvili, who is now the leader of Ukraine’s New Rights party, is going to appeal the decision of the State Migration Service on refusing to grant him refugee status. They declared the agency has enough reasons to expell him from Ukraine. 

Saakashvili told NewsOne TV that he will not accept with the agency’s decision, stating it to be illegal.

Saakashvili was deprived of citizenship on July 26, 2017, under Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s decree. On Wednesday, he received a document from Ukraine’s Presidential Administration on the deprivation of his Ukrainian citizenship, which explains the reasons of stripping him of his citizenship. Saakashvili is going to appeal this decision too.

“I will go to court. At last, I have received a document from the Presidential Administration regarding my citizenship. I will appeal the decision made by Poroshenko,” he added.

On October 24, the ex-President of Georgia set up his own tent at the protest camp, which was established near the Verkhovna Rada, and spent the night there. He held a rally in the same location at 7pm on October 25.

Saakashvili stated he had moved there for security reasons to avoid political persecution by the authorities.

“When I came here (from Poland on Sept. 10), I risked everything to protect the Ukrainian people. Now I’m asking the Ukrainian people to protect me,” Kyiv Post quoted Saakashvili.

Saakashvili was the third president of Georgia from 2004-2007, and again in 2008-2013.

Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko granted Saakashvili Ukrainian citizenship in May 2015, when appointing him as the Governor of Odessa. 

In December 2015, Georgian authorities stripped Saakashvili of Georgian citizenship as dual citizenship is not allowed in Georgia. 

In November 2016, Saakashvili quit his post and formed an opposition party and was seen heavily criticizing the Ukrainian authorities, which led to a disagreement between Poroshenko and the ex-Georgian President.

Poroshenko stripped Saakashvili of his Ukrainian citizenship in July.

After losing his Ukrainian citizenship, Saakashvili returned to Ukraine on September 10, with the help of his supporters, who broke through the line of security forces, and pulled Saakashvili from neutral territory between Poland and Ukraine, and onto Ukrainian territory.

By Thea Morrison

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