Public Defender of Georgia: Saakashvili was deceived into being transferred to prison hospital
Saakashvili was transferred to prison hospital by force
The Georgian Penitentiary Service has published footage of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili voluntarily leaving the prison in Rustavi to go to the prison hospital located on the outskirts of Tbilisi. But Public Defender of Georgia claims he was deceived as he was told that he would be taken to a multidisciplinary city hospital.
This was the demand of the ex-president and his supporters. Saakashvili’s health has deteriorated significantly after he has been on a hunger strike in prison for over a month.
Mikheil Saakashvili secretly returned to his homeland on October 1, 2021, after eight years of absence, was arrested and sent to prison, where he immediately went on a hunger strike.
Several criminal cases have been launched against the third president of Georgia, he has already been convicted in two of them and sentenced to six years in prison. Lawyers had been demanding his transfer to hospital for a long time, as his health is deteriorating amid the hunger strike.
The Ministry for the Execution of Sentences said that if necessary, he would be taken to a prison hospital. However, Saakashvili’s lawyer and Public Defender of Georgia Nino Lomjaria stated that there were no necessary equipment and safe conditions for the ex-president there.
Saakashvili himself did not agree to be transferred to a prison hospital and categorically refused to end the hunger strike.
The authorities said they published the footage of the departure of inmate Mikheil Saakashvili “because there was a great public around it”. “We want to show clear evidence that inmate Mikheil Saakashvili left the cell voluntarily”, the penitentiary service said in a statement.
The video published by the agency shows how Saakashvili dismantles his belongings, collects two packages and leaves Rustavi prison.
Public Defender Nino Lomjaria, who visited Mikheil Saakashvili in prison, said that in fact he was told about the transfer to a civilian clinic, and therefore he agreed.
“I’ve seen it personally. We discussed this, the ex-president was told that a medical council had been formed for him, which decided to take him to a multifunctional clinic”, Lomjaria said.
Saakashvili was transported secretly on the evening of November 8, and for several hours his whereabouts were unknown – despite the fact that doctors say that his state of health is under great risk.
It is reported that when Saakashvili saw where he was taken, he resisted and was injured. The Ministry of Justice claims that it was Saakashvili who insulted the staff of the Gldani prison.
Mikhail Saakashvili’s personal doctor Nikoloz Kipshidze demands that he be allowed to visit the patient. His lawyer Nika Gvaramia is also asking permission to visit the ex-president, but it is not yet known whether they will receive it.
Until now, only a representative of the Ombudsman and the Ombudsman herself could visit Mikhail Saakashvili.
There was a lot of screaming and noise in the prison, they said. Offensive statements and foul language are heard from the cells. Police and special forces have been mobilized in the area around the Gldani prison.
