Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner: I’ll notify EU about violations of Saakashvili’s rights
The human rights advocate reported that Saakashvili’s rights have been violated on procedural, medical, and religious grounds. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
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Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Lyudmyla Denisova, has said that former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili’s rights have been breached on several grounds.
After visiting Saakashvili in Rustavi Prison No.12 earlier today, Denisova reported that Saakashvili’s rights have been violated on procedural, medical, and religious grounds.
The court dismissed the lawyers’ request to bring Ukrainian citizen Saakashvili to court, where he can defend himself. Therefore, the right to a fair public trial has been violated, Denisova said.
The human rights advocate declared that Saakashvili’s health is deteriorating ‘on a daily basis,’ and asked the Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia to transfer him to a private hospital rather than a prison clinic.
Denisova noted that Saakashvili’s religious rights have also been infringed upon, as the priests who were admitted to visit him were not those he requested.
After arriving in Ukraine, we will notify the European ambassadors. I will also report my observations to the European parliament, she added.
The human rights advocate further noted that upon her arrival in Georgia, she was stopped for 40 minutes, and only allowed entry after she performed ‘several calls’ and ‘threatened’ them.
Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon also said that he was denied entry to Georgia ‘with no explanations.’ The journalist called the incident an ‘international scandal’ and a ‘shame for Georgian authorities.’
Saakashvili, who is currently a citizen of Ukraine, fled Georgia in 2013, a year after his United National Movement (UNM) party lost parliamentary elections. In 2018, a Georgian court convicted him in absentia on two counts of abuse of power and sentenced him to six years in prison.
The former president was arrested in Tbilisi on October 1 after his clandestine return to Georgia.
Saakashvili is currently facing five additional charges, including illegal seizure of property, embezzlement, illegal rally dispersal, and illegal border crossing.
Day 27 of a hunger strike. #FreeSaakashvili
— Mikheil Saakashvili (@SaakashviliM) October 27, 2021
The former president denies all charges, considers himself a political prisoner, and has been on a hunger strike since his arrest.
The UNM opposition party has called on the international community, accredited diplomatic corps, and international and local NGOs to ensure Saakashvilis ‘right to life’ and ‘personal safety.’