( dpa ) - A former Georgian defence minister and opposition politician being held in Berlin at the request of the Georgian authorities said Saturday he would be killed if deported to his home country.
Irakli Okruashvili, defence minister from December 2004 to November 2006, also warned that President Mikhail Saakashvili "will use any legal or illegal means to remain in power," following the January 5 elections in the Caucasian country.
"I'm hoping for political asylum," Okruashvili told the news magazine Der Spiegel. "Deportation - that would mean my death," he said.
Okruashvili was detained in Berlin at the end of November. He is wanted in Georgia on corruption and abuse of power charges.
Okruashvili was arrested in Georgia in September on charges of corruption, money laundering and abuse of power before being released on bail and fleeing to Germany.
He has accused Saakashvili of serious crimes, including human rights abuses, comparing him to Adolf Hitler for suppressing dissent.
In the interview with Der Spiegel, Okruashvili said that he had worked with Saakashvili for six years without problem, but the moment he went over to the opposition, allegations of corruption had been raised.