US, EU embassies point at gov’t responsibility for Saakashvili’s rights
The ambassadors called on the Georgian government to provide proper medical care for the imprisoned Saakashvili. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
Tweet 
Share
US Ambassador Kelly Degnan and EU Ambassador Carl Hartzell have called on the Georgian government to provide proper medical care for the imprisoned ex-president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili.
Saakashvili, who was arrested in Tbilisi on October 1 after a clandestine return from eight years in political exile, considers himself a ‘political prisoner’ and claims to be on a hunger strike.
The former president, who was serving his sentence in Rustavi Prison No.12, was transferred to Gldani prison hospital last evening to ‘prevent deterioration in his health due to increased risks,' the penitentiary service reported.
Degnan said that the US 'remains concerned' about Saakashvili's well-being, and urged the government to protect his health and safety.
In any country, the government has a responsibility to protect inmates from abuse, including mental abuse, as well as providing for their medical well-being and their safety. So, again we urge the government to please ensure that Mr. Saakshvili is immediately provided with the medical and mental healthcare that he needs in a fully equipped medical facility, she told the press.
Hartzell noted that the EU is closely monitoring Saakashvili in prison, and the Georgian authorities should make 'every effort to fully uphold' the former president's rights.
These [Saakashvili's] rights include the right to stand trial in transparent, fair and due judicial proceedings and the right to adequate healthcare as well as privacy and dignity whilst in prison, he added.
The ambassadors further expressed their support for the Ombudswoman Nino Lomjaria, who is frequently criticised by the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party members.
Degnan maintained that the Georgian Public Defender's office deserves to be 'commended not criticized,' while Hartzell referred to the Ombudswoman as the EU's 'trusted local partner.
Lomjaria, who visited Saakashvili in prison hospital, said that the former president thought he would be transferred to civil hospital rather than a prison clinic. She added that the penitentiary medical centre was not equipped with medical devices recommended by the medical council that monitored Saakashvili's health.
Ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili who was transferred to Gldani prison hospital today, has released the letter from the facility stating that the purpose of the recent activities is his physical destruction under Russian president Vladimir Putin’s order.
Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria has stated that the Gldani No.18 prison hospital, where ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili was transferred earlier today, is not provided with two medical devices - MRT and catheterisation equipment - that were recommended by the medical council.
Ukrainian high officials have called on the government of Georgia to transfer the former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili from a prison hospital to a private clinic. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has expressed disappointment over the fact that Saakashvili, who is currently a citizen of Ukraine, was transferred to a prison hospital this evening without the Ukrainian side being informed.
Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, who reportedly has been on hunger strike for 39 days, has been transferred to Gldani No.18 prison hospital ‘to prevent deterioration in his health due to increased risks,' the Georgian Special Penitentiary Service reports.
The US government has called on Georgian authorities to take steps to ensure the country’s former president, Mikheil Saakashvili’s, urgent psychological and physical needs, US Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price stated yesterday. The Department of State also encouraged the Georgian government to treat Saakashvili ‘fairly and with dignity,’ noting that they are ‘closely observing’ the situation around the former president.
The State Inspector’s Service will investigate the alleged physical assault on ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili when he was transferred to Gldani prison hospital on November 8. Saakashvili claims that prison staff verbally and physically abused him, saying ‘[they] dragged me to the ground and hit me several times in the neck.’
Georgian law enforcement arrested 46 individuals at rallies organized by the United National Movement (UNM) in Tbilisi earlier today, including at the buildings of the State Security Service and the Ministry of Health. The Georgian Interior Ministry says the UNM activists violated the law of assembly and demonstration, attempting to block state buildings and disobeying police officers.
Former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili has not been allowed by the Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia to attend a trial in Tbilisi City Court today which is discussing a case involving him.
French Ambassador to Georgia Diego Colas has said that Georgian authorities are responsible to ensure the imprisoned former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili's health and safety. Colas asserted that both the worries about the integrity of the penitentiary system and the worries about Saakashvili's dignity are 'legitimate concerns.'
The Georgian Special Penitentiary Service has released another video of former president Mikheil Saakashvili, in which Saakashvili is in an emergency vehicle being taken to Gldani Prison No.18 hospital on Monday, on the 39th day of his hunger strike.
Georgia’s former president Mikheil Saakashvili continues his hunger strike and refuses to take medication or receive an infusion as the government has not yet responded to his demand to transfer him to a civil clinic, Saakashvili’s lawyer Dimitri Sadzaglishvili stated earlier today.
The chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party Irakli Kobakhidze has said that several foreign politicians 'stubbornly' keep lobbying for the opposition United National Movement (UNM) 'without any arguments.' Kobakhidze's statement comes after MEP Anna Fotyga referred to the imprisoned former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili as a 'political prisoner,' and slammed the Georgian government for denying her request to visit him in prison.
EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell has said that he welcomes Ombudswoman Nino Lomjaria's decision to establish a group of medical experts to monitor the imprisoned former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili's health. Lomjaria announced yesterday that she invited a group of medical experts to 'monitor the adequacy and timeliness' of medical services provided to Saakashvili.