A Russian military appellate court has rejected the appeals of four Crimean Tatars—Nariman Ametov, Ali Mamutov, Vokhid Mustafayev, and Enver Khalilyayev—who were convicted of involvement with the organization ‘Hizb ut-Tahrir.’ The sentences handed down by the Southern District Military Court on May 21, 2026, remain unchanged. According to the TASS news agency, citing court sources, the individuals—part of what is known as the "third Dzhankoy group"—were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 14 to 15 years.
Georgia's third president, Mikheil Saakashvili, commented on the recent meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
"A very important meeting between President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan. The South Caucasus will never regain peace as long as Russian tentacles are present. Russia's last stronghold is Ivanishvili's pathological dictatorship. The Georgian people, fighting for their freedom, are also fighting for peace in the region," the former president wrote.
He emphasized that Georgia's struggle for democracy and independence is directly linked to the security and stability of the entire South Caucasus.
On October 28, the Georgian government filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court to ban the United National Movement (UNM) party, founded by Mikheil Saakashvili. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated that the lawsuit also applies to other parties sharing the UNM's ideology. He emphasized that these actions are aimed at curbing the activities of forces undermining the constitutional order.
In May, Mikheil Saakashvili was found guilty of illegally crossing the border and sentenced to four years and six months in prison. Taking into account his three previous convictions, his total sentence is 12.5 years. He will therefore serve his sentence in a Georgian prison until 2034.
Mikheil Saakashvili believes the charges against him are politically motivated. He has stated that the sentences were handed down on the personal orders of Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party.