Jailed Saakashvili calls for Ukraine president’s impeachment
KIEV, Ukraine — From his jail cell in Ukraine’s capital, opposition leader Mikheil Saakashvili is calling on supporters to rally for the impeachment of the president and has declared a hunger strike.
Saakashvili, the former governor of the Odesa region who was stripped of his citizenship this summer, was arrested Friday night. He hasn’t been formally charged, but prosecutors say he colluded with Ukrainian businessmen tied to Russia to topple President Petro Poroshenko.
Saakashvili rejects the allegations, pointing to his long record of opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Saakashvili must be brought to court for arraignment within 72 hours of arrest. No day for that has been announced. A spokesman for the prosecutor-general’s office, Andrei Lysenko, said Saturday that officials will likely ask for him to be held under house arrest after his court appearance.