The European Court of Human Rights rejected as “inadmissible” complaints brought by Mikheil Saakashvili against Ukraine on alleged mistreatment and politically motivated decisions against him dating back to 2017 and 2018.

Former president had alleged violations of his rights in 2017, when his Ukrainian citizenship was revoked, and in 2018, following the institution of criminal proceedings against him, his subsequent arrest and expulsion from the country.

Saakashvili brought various specific complaints under the European Human Rights Convention, including alleged ill-treatment during his arrests and expulsion from Ukraine, alleged unlawfulness of his deprivations of liberty, and public statements made by the Prosecutor General in early December 2017 regarding his alleged criminal activities.

His Ukrainian nationality was restored to him in May 2019 by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The ECHR noted that after May 2019, when Saakashvili’s Ukrainian citizenship was restored and he resumed his political activities, he could have followed through with his complaints in the domestic courts system of Ukraine.