Jailed Mikheil Saakashvili calls for Ukraine president's impeachment

Jailed Mikheil Saakashvili calls for Ukraine president's impeachment

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, foreign media say, InterPressNews reported.

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 spokesperson 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. He also faces the possibility of being sent back to his native Georgia, where he faces charges of abuse of office from his years as president from 2004 to 2013.

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