Amid chaotic scenes, supporters free ex-Georgian leader from Kiev police
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukrainian supporters of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili freed him from a police van on Tuesday, after his detention on suspicion of assisting a criminal organization sparked clashes with police in central Kiev.
Once freed, Saakashvili raised a hand in a V-for-victory sign – a handcuff still dangling from his wrist as he stood in a melee of supporters. He then led protesters towards parliament, where he called for President Petro Poroshenko’s removal.
Masked officers had earlier dragged the 49-year-old Saakashvili from an apartment in the Ukrainian capital. But his supporters prevented the police van from moving off, hemming it in and eventually freeing him by breaking the van’s windows and rear door.
Protesters also started assembling a barricade of tires, wood and stones – reminiscent of scenes from Ukraine’s 2014 pro-European “Maidan” uprising.
“Today you maybe saved me from death, therefore my life belongs to you,” Saakashvili told a crowd at a small makeshift camp, built outside parliament by opposition supporters in September.
“The people of Ukraine must assemble and force the Ukrainian Parliament to remove from power the criminal group led by the traitor to Ukraine, Poroshenko,” he said.
Ukraine’s general prosecutor later said that Saakashvili had 24 hours to present himself to law enforcement.
In a post on Facebook, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said Saakashvili should act in accordance with Ukrainian law and not “provoke blood and clashes.” The US Embassy in Kiev called on all sides to de-escalate tensions and avoid violence.
The detention was the latest twist in a prolonged feud between Ukrainian authorities and Saakashvili, who was invited by Poroshenko to become a regional governor after protests in 2014 ousted a pro-Russian president. The two quickly fell out and Saakashvili turned on his one-time patron.
It is unclear if Tuesday’s events will lead to wider protests, as Saakashvili enjoys only limited support in Ukraine. Only 1.7% of voters would support his party, the Movement of New Forces, in elections, according to an October survey by the Kiev-based Razumkov Center think tank.
Ukraine suspects Saakashvili of receiving financing from a criminal group linked to former president Viktor Yanukovich that planned to overthrow the current government, General Prosecutor Yuriy Lutsenko told journalists on Tuesday after the detention.
Saakashvili could face up to five years in prison if found guilty. He is wanted in Georgia on criminal charges, which he says were trumped up for political reasons.