Opera singer Burchuladze on hunger strike: ‘losing Saakashvili means losing Georgia’’
Opera singer Paata Burchuladze noted that with the hunger strike he tries to declare that he ‘does not participate in the disgraceful history of Georgia that is being written today’. Photo: Interpressnews.ge.
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On the third day of his hunger strike, Georgian opera singer Paata Burchuladze says that losing the imprisoned former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili the public is losing Georgia as well.
Saakashvili, who was arrested in Tbilisi on October 1 after returning from eight years in political exile, considers himself a ‘political prisoner’ and has been on a hunger strike for 48 days.
Burchuladze announced a hunger strike on November 14, demanding Saakashvili be transferred from the prison hospital where he is currently receiving care to a civil clinic.
In an interview with interpressnews (IPN) agency, Burchuladze said that with his hunger strike the international society has started drawing attention to Saakashvili’s issue.
When the penitentiary service released a video of Saakashvili being taken to Gldani Prison No 18 hospital, I decided to start a hunger strike… Of course, I can go to rallies and deliver speeches, but I think that the international society will pay more attention to me and my position now”, Burchuladze told IPN.
Burchuladze also noted that with the hunger strike he tries to declare that he ‘does not participate in the disgraceful history of Georgia that is being written today’.
I don’t want to be an accomplice in the death of Saakashvili”, said Burchuladze.
Before announcing the hunger strike, Burchuladze requested the ruling Georgian Dream party let him ‘replace’ Saakashvili in prison.
Currently a citizen of Ukraine, Saakashvili was convicted by Georgian court in absentia in 2018 on two counts of abuse of power and was sentenced to six years in prison.
The former president is now facing five additional charges, including illegal seizure of property, embezzlement, illegal rally dispersal, and illegal border crossing.
Burchuladze came to politics in 2016. He led the Paata Burchuladze - Movement State for People election bloc for the 2016 parliamentary elections. His bloc received 3.45% of the total votes, but failed to gain seats in the parliament, as the electoral threshold was five percent at the time.
Prior to the 2016 parliamentary elections, GD official Irakli Kobakhidze blamed Burchuladze for a ‘secret partnership’ with Saakashvili’s United National Movement (UNM) party.