**Georgian Opposition Reacts to Saakashvili Verdict**
The leader of the National Movement party, Tinatin Bokuchava, has spoken out against the verdict given to former President Mikheil Saakashvili. He was sentenced to 12.6 years in prison for illegal border crossing.
Bokuchava said that if President Salome Zurabishvili had pardoned Saakashvili, he would not have been given such a harsh sentence. She also blamed Zurabishvili for not using her power to pardon Saakashvili earlier.
Saakashvili was the third president of Georgia and raised the European flag in the country. Bokuchava said that it is ironic that the current president, who tried to resist the Russian occupation regime with a European flag, did not pardon the former president.
Bokuchava also addressed Saakashvili directly, saying that the opposition party will continue to fight for his freedom and for the freedom of Georgia. She ended her statement by saying “Glory to freedom! Glory to Georgia!”