Individuals who helped ex-president Saakashvili illegally enter Georgia released on bail

All four accused of assisting the third President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili in illegal crossing of the state border in October 2021 were released from the courtroom on bail in the amount of 5,000 lari (about $1,600).

Elguja Tsomaia, Zurab and Shalva Tsotsoria and Giorgi Narimanidze were arrested in October, shortly after ex-president Saakashvili had been detained.

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The third President of Georgia, wanted by the authorities secretly returned to Georgia and was arrested on October 1. Saakashvili was later transferred from the Rustavi prison to a prison on the outskirts of Tbilisi (in the Gldani region).

Immediately after his arrest, the former president went on a hunger strike in protest. Saakashvili considers himself a political prisoner and personal prisoner of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the unofficial ruler of Georgia, Bidzina Ivanishvili.

The former president went on a hunger strike for 50 days. During the last two weeks of his hunger strike, he has refused to take medication. His condition worsened day by day. A group of doctors created by the Public Defender of Georgia Nino Lomjaria assessed his condition as critical.

Georgian civil society, diplomats, ordinary citizens, actors, writers and other public figures called on the government to transfer the ex-president to a multidisciplinary clinic. This request was submitted to the Government by the Public Defender and the Service of the State Inspector of Georgia. The US State Department made the same call. Finally, on November 19, the third president was transferred to the Gori military hospital.

In addition, on November 10, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on provisional measures, calling Saakashvili to end his hunger strike and instructing the state to ensure the prisoner’s safety and proper treatment.