Ukraine authorities visit Saakashvili to deliver notice for law violation
12 September 2017
Ukrainian law enforcement authorities visited the
hotel of former Odesa regional administration head Mikheil Saakashvili in Lviv
this morning, a member of his political party reported on Facebook. They will
hand him a notice of his violation of the law on Sept. 10, the report said.
Also this morning, Saakashvili ally David Sakvarelidze wrote on his Facebook
that the Ukrainian government is conducting “repressions and mass arrests” of
those who supported Saakashvili’s illegal crossing of the border. He identified
two activists who have been arrested. “We warn the government and call upon its
representatives to immediately cease its political repressions because all this
will undoubtedly end very badly, as it was for predecessors,” he said.
About 60 people illegally crossed the Polish-Ukrainian
border on Sept. 10, the State Migration Service reported the next day. Notices
have been issued for six of them and submitted to court. Another nine notices
are being prepared, which includes journalists, the service said. On Sept. 10,
Saakashvili, aided by dozens of agitators and provocateurs, illegally crossed
the Polish-Ukrainian border after he was deprived of Ukrainian citizenship in
July.
giant mess that has turned into a political chess match. With his border
crossing theatrics, Saakashvili has been playing upon the Ukrainian public’s
pent up discontent with Poroshenko, which the president could have ignited had
he used violent measures at the border crossing. At the same time, Poroshenko
can’t allow Saakashvili to flaunt the government’s authority. In this ongoing
chess match, each side is going to take careful steps to defend their authority
and political support among the public, which could easily disintegrate with
one false move. The 2019 elections are at stake.
