"You are Putin's butchers" - Georgia's Penitentiary Service releases another footage of Saakashvili

The Special Penitentiary Service has released another video footage of Mikheil Saakashvili in an ambulance and where it appears that Mikheil Saakashvili was taken to the Gldani Prison Hospital against his will.

“Due to the high public interest, we are publishing video footage showing the transportation of prisoner Mikheil Saakashvili from the 12th penitentiary institution to the medical facility for the 18th for the accused and convicted. The footage clearly shows how he does not obey the lawful instructions of the employees of the institution, behaves aggressively and verbally insults them”, the Penitentiary Service said in a statement.

“You are Putin’s slaves. What do you mean I should calm down? You are following Putin’s orders, I will not calm down. Lekvo Ivanishvili. What do you mean I should calm down. Take me back to Rustavi prison. I will not take any steps of my own free will, I will not allow myself to be connected to any of the wires of my own free will, I will not undergo any medical procedures of my own free will. “You are all murderers”, Mikheil Saakashvili told the penitentiary staff.

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This is the second video released by the Penitentiary Service today. The first video shows former President Mikheil Saakashvili being taken to the Gldani Prison Clinic by force. Several people drag Saakashvili naked along the hallway before entering the ward. After being taken to a clinic, Saakashvili said he was deceived as if he was being taken to a civilian clinic.

On November 10, a Strasbourg court issued a ruling on “temporary measures” regarding Mikheil Saakashvili’s hunger strike, his health and safety.

The Strasbourg court gave priority to the case and took “temporary measures”. Due to the content of the “temporary measures”, this decision of the Strasbourg court means that the European Court of Human Rights has seen the danger of irreparable damage to Saakashvili’s life and health.

Mikheil Saakashvili has been on hunger strike for more than 40 days since he was arrested on October 1.

On November 8, he was transferred from Rustavi Prison to Gldani Prison Hospital against his will in order to “prevent deterioration of his health”. Saakashvili himself, his family, doctors and the Public Defender’s Office opposed his transfer to the prison hospital on the grounds that the prison hospital lacked the medical equipment needed to treat Saakashvili and was also unsafe.

The Public Defender inspected the medical facility in Gldani Prison several times. The ombudsman wrote in the reports that the conditions in the clinic were inappropriate for the treatment of the patient.

Elene Khoshtaria, the leader of the political party “Droa”, started a hunger strike in the parliament demanding to take Saakashvili to the civil clinic.

Saakashvili was secretly transferred to Gldani. In parallel with these processes, on November 8, the opposition launched large-scale, continuous protests demanding the release of Mikheil Saakashvili and the calling of early elections.