Kyiv court requests transfer of Mikheil Saakashvili to Ukraine

Saakashvili wants tKyiv court requests transfer of Saakashvili to Ukraineo be interrogated in Ukrainian court

Kyiv court requests transfer of Saakashvili to Ukraine

A Ukrainian court has requested that the third president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, be remanded to Ukraine for testimony in a case, as announced by one of his lawyers, Shalva Khachapuridze.

The case concerns an incident that occurred in Ukraine in 2017, when the former president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko decided to expel Mikheil Saakashvili from the country to Poland. In this case, Mikhail Saakashvili was recognized by the Ukrainian court as a victim.

Khachapuridze also noted that the information was disseminated incorrectly several times – allegedly the Ukrainian court is considering Saakashvili’s treatment after his arrest in Georgia, although in fact the Ukrainian court is dealing with a case initiated in Ukraine itself.

“Ukrainian law enforcement agencies are investigating an incident that occurred in Ukraine. However, I don’t know all the details for sure, so I can’t comment on this,” Khachapuridze said.

He noted that a judge announced this decision in the courtroom. In two days the decision will be sent to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, and from there it will go to the Ministry of Justice of Georgia.

According to Shalva Khachapuridze, Saakashvili’s health is the priority at this time:

“Even if Georgia allows Saakashvili to testify in Ukraine, the former president will probably not be able to do so for health reasons.”

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Mikheil Saakashvili’s move to Ukraine

The decision of the Ukrainian court coincides with a dramatic deterioration in the ex-president’s condition. “Saakashvili is on the verge. He has a temperature of 38, his blood pressure is 170, he cannot eat or take medicine, he is in bed all the time,” said Temur Janashia, former head of the State Security Service and deputy from the National Movement [a party created by Saakashvili], on October 6.

American medical expert Shahin Lahan, who also visited Saakashvili at the Vivamed clinic, stressed that “state studies indicate an acute shortage of all vital signs, which is not normal.”

Saakashvili’s other lawyer, Massimo Dangelo, also visited Saakashvili in the clinic and confirmed that his health had deteriorated significantly.

Saakashvili has been in prison for a year now. He was arrested after he secretly returned to Georgia on October 1, 2021.

The former president of Georgia was in the 12th correctional colony in the city of Rustavi. Saakashvili considers himself a political prisoner, which is why he has gone on hunger strike twice in protest. The first hunger strike lasted 51 days.

Then his health deteriorated so much that required urgent treatment. First he was brought to the Gori military hospital, and then to the Vivamed clinic, where he remains to this day.

Meanwhile the Strasbourg Court of Human Rights, in a decision of November 10, called on Mikheil Saakashvili to end his hunger strike and demanded that the Georgian authorities ensure the safety and adequate treatment of the prisoner.

Kyiv court requests transfer of Saakashvili to Ukraine

Saakashvili wants to be interrogated in Ukrainian court