Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili was sentenced on Monday to four-and-a-half more years in jail after being found guilty of illegally crossing the state border, Georgian news agency Interpress reported.
According to the verdict, Saakashvili, who has been imprisoned since 2021 on charges that he says are politically-motivated, will be in prison until 2034 as the sentences will run concurrently.
In office from 2004 to 2013, Saakashvili was convicted last week of embezzling 9 million Georgian lari ($3.3 million) via expenses claims for what prosecutors called "luxury" spending.
Saakashvili was already serving a six-year sentence for abuse of power. He has spent much of that time in a prison hospital.
He is also on trial for a crackdown on protesters in 2007.
After leaving presidential office, Saakashvili moved to Ukraine, where he briefly served as governor of the Odesa region.
He returned in 2021, despite having been convicted in absentia of abuse of power. He was jailed on arrival.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has begun a multi-nation diplomatic tour of the Middle East, showing Beijing’s deepening engagement in a region und...
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Pakistan and China are conducting a joint counterterrorism exercise, Warrior IX, to strengthen military cooperation. The drill comes at a time of rene...
Azerbaijan’s post-conflict reconstruction in Karabakh is attracting international attention. The book by British author Graeme Wilson documents this...
Tashkent is hosting the 2025 Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Annual General Assemblies, one of the most significant events in glob...
Brazil’s Supreme Court has ordered former President Jair Bolsonaro to be placed under house arrest over allegations he attempted to overturn the 2022 election results.
Nine inmates remain on the run after a dramatic escape from the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans early Friday, with officials warning the public to stay alert and consider the fugitives “armed and dangerous.”
Japan has lifted a tsunami advisory issued after an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 hit the country's northeastern region on Friday (12 December), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. The JMA had earlier put the earthquake's preliminary magnitude at 6.7.
The United States issued new sanctions targeting Venezuela on Thursday, imposing curbs on three nephews of President Nicolas Maduro's wife, as well as six crude oil tankers and shipping companies linked to them, as Washington ramps up pressure on Caracas.
Iran is preparing to host a multilateral regional meeting next week in a bid to mediate between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Iran's President Massoud Pezeshkian has begun a two day visit to Kazakhstan, with officials from both sides describing the trip as an opportunity to advance cooperation in trade, transport, industry, mining and cultural exchanges.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their tensions through dialogue and engagement, as it pledged to work with the international community to help improve relations between the two countries.
Kazakhstan has begun redirecting part of its crude exports, sending oil from Kashagan to China as the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) operates at reduced capacity.
Azerbaijan’s post-conflict reconstruction in Karabakh is attracting international attention. The book by British author Graeme Wilson documents this journey, combining first-hand reporting and digital storytelling to highlight both the region’s restoration and the human stories behind it.
Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, has welcomed the expansion of ties with neighbouring Azerbaijan, stating that Tehran and Baku are committed to building a ‘shared, secure and mutually respectful’ future, local media reported on Friday.
Tashkent is hosting the 2025 Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Annual General Assemblies, one of the most significant events in global motorsport and mobility governance, bringing together officials and delegates from around the world.
The global centre of political gravity is increasingly moving from the Atlantic to the Pacific, a development with significant implications for the South Caucasus and Central Asia.
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