"Saakashvili on the verge of death": What experts and friends say about the ex-president's health

Mikheil Saakashvili’s health

“Mikhail Saakashvili is in fact in critical condition. He has a temperature of 38, blood pressure of 170, he cannot eat or take medicine, he is in bed all the time,” Temur Janashia, former head of the state security service and MP from the United National Movement party [created by Mikheil Saakashvili], stated. Janashia visited the third president of Georgia at a Vivamed clinic where Saakashvili is undergoing treatment.

All studies point to an acute shortage of all “vital signs, which is not normal,” US doctor and expert Shaheen Lahan said October 5 after visiting Saakashvili in hospital.

The Vivamed clinic itself claims that although Saakashvili has a high temperature and pressure, his condition is stable.

Saakashvili was also visited by his lawyer Massimo Dangelo. He also believes that the health of the ex-president of Georgia has deteriorated significantly.

“His vital signs are on the edge, after which he will collapse. By that I mean a possible lethal outcome,” Dangelo said.

“We learned that President Saakashvili passed out due to high blood pressure provoked by yesterday’s incident, when representatives of the prosecutor’s office broke into his room and tried to hold a court session there. This is not the first time Saakashvili has lost consciousness. We all remember well the numerous occasions when he passed out due to intense agitation and shock caused by sudden visits to his room.”

It should be noted that the American expert, Nobel Prize winner Dr. James Cobb, could not get to Saakashvili, allegedly due to the lack of necessary documents. However, according to another lawyer for Saakashvili, Shalva Khachapuridze, an American doctor will be allowed to see Mikheil Saakashvili on October 6.

Mikheil Saakashvili’s health

Nobel Prize-winning forensic scientist James Cobb arrived in Georgia on October 3 to participate in an assessment of the condition of Mikheil Saakashvili.

The Ministry of Health of Georgia claimed that the documents confirming the activities of James Cobb were not presented. Because of this, the Professional Development Board did not grant the doctor’s request to be included. Thereafter, however, the necessary documents were provided by the Empathy Center.

Members of the “National Movement” also demanded the inclusion of James Cobb and held a rally near the Ministry of Health.

Mikheil Saakashvili’s health

“Mr. Cobb has been patiently trying to get clearance for several days now. This respected man, a very famous doctor in the world, sat and waited for permission. To speed up the process, we have decided to provide the necessary documents. So Mr. Cobb postponed his flight and will remain in Georgia until the meeting with the ex-president,” Massimo Dangelo said.

• What is Georgia’s ex-president tried for?
• Georgia’s Saakashvili in Ukraine
• From Ukraine to prison: Mikhail Saakashvili returned to Georgia – what next?

According to a consultation with the participation of the Public Defender of Georgia held in April this year, Saakashvili’s has deteriorated significantly. His family asks that he be transferred for treatment abroad.

US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan urged the Georgian government to take the Ombudsman’s recommendations seriously.

Mikheil 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 prison in Rustavi. Mikheil 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 Mikhail Saakashvili’s health deteriorated so much that he needed serious treatment. First he was brought to the Gori military hospital, then to the Vivamed clinic, where he is now.

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

Mikheil Saakashvili’s health