Footage released showing Saakashvili’s transfer to a prison clinic [VIDEO]

The Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia has released a video which shows the transfer of former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili from Rustavi prison to the Gldani Prison No.18 hospital on Monday, to prevent complications to his health on the 39th day of hunger strike. 

Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze stated earlier today that the footage was released to dismiss speculations by the opposition and the former president that Saakashvili ‘was abducted’ from Rustavi prison and brought to Gldani prison hospital, ‘where he was attacked by the prison staff.’ 

The Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia released the footage on Thursday showing the transfer of Saakashvili:

The opposition is lying and says that Saakashvili was abducted, while he was taken from one prison to another in accordance with the law to prevent any complications to his health,” Bregadze said. 

He stated that the footage shows how Saakashvili declines to leave the emergency vehicle and then himself verbally and physically abuses prison staff.

Opposition representatives said the video ‘is very hard to watch,’ and confirms the 'inhuman treatment’ of Saakashvili.

Saakashvili was arrested in Tbilisi on October 1 after a clandestine return from eight years in political exile. He considers himself a ‘political prisoner’ and has claimed to be on hunger strike since the day of his arrest. 

However, Georgian Dream officials say that Saakashvili is ‘staging a show’ with his hunger strike and that he had plans with his United National Movement opposition party to cause unrest during his transfer to a hospital. 

In a letter released from the prison hospital earlier this week, Saakashvili claimed that the purpose of his transfer was his physical destruction under Russian president Vladimir Putin’s order.