Justice minister: we’ll be happy if Saakashvili calls off his hunger strike without preconditions
Former president Mikheil Saakashvili is still on hunger strike as the Georgian Dream government has not fulfilled his demand to bring him to a civil clinic. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze has stated that the Georgian Dream government ‘will be happy’ if former president Mikheil Saakashvili calls off his 43-day hunger strike ‘without raising preconditions.’
Saakashvili said yesterday that he is ready to stop his hunger strike if he is brought to a civil clinic which will provide proper medical care in the post-hunger strike period.
The European Court of Human Rights has called on Saakashvili to call off his hunger strike. We would be happy if Saakashvili acts in this way, but without raising any preconditions. Why should [he] be brought to a civil clinic, can anyone explain?” Bregadze told Rustavi TV late yesterday.
Bregadze says that if Saakashvili stops his hunger strike, he will be brought back to Rustavi Prison No. 12 from Gldani Prison No. 18 hospital and his well-being will be ensured.
According to the Minister of Justice Rati Bregadze, Mikheil Saakashvili was transferred to the №18 Penitentiary Service medical facility to minimize the risk of his health condition and prevent possible complications.
— Justice Ministry GEO (@Justice_geo) November 8, 2021
More Information: https://t.co/g0xO9YkWVr pic.twitter.com/0QXxNIevB8
Saakashvili says that the actions of the Georgian Dream government ‘are a planned assassination operation from the first day of my hunger strike to the present day.’
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 denies all charges.
Saakashvili was convicted in Georgia in absentia back in 2018 for abuse of power and was sentenced to six years in prison.
He has also been charged with five other offences.
Tbilisi City Court has denied the accusations of former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili’s legal team that the court restricted the ex-president’s right to protection by banning his two lawyers from attending the trial on November 10.
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.
The European Court of Human Rights has rejected a complaint by former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili on his transfer to a private clinic from a prison hospital, and instead urged him to call off his hunger strike, the Georgian Ministry of Justice said yesterday and released an interim judgement of the court.The court demanded from the Georgian government to inform them about Saakashvili’s state of health and ensure proper medical care for him now and in the post-hunger-strike period.
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.
MEP Anna Fotyga has come to Georgia to see former president Mikheil Saakashvili in Gldani Prison No.18 hospital, while MEP Viola von Cramon has criticized the Georgian Dream government for the release of videos yesterday which show the transfer of Saakashvili from Rustavi prison to Gldani on Monday, on his 39th day of hunger strike.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have discussed the issue of former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, who is a citizen of Ukraine, during a recent phone conversation.
Former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili has again not been allowed by the Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia to attend a trial in Tbilisi City Court today about an embezzlement case in which he is implicated.
Riot police and water cannons are at Baratashvili bridge in central Tbilisi, where activists of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party are marching to block roads on the both banks of the Mtkvari River.The UNM is demanding an ‘immediate transfer’ of former president Mikheil Saakashvili to a civil clinic from a prison hospital, after a 46-day hunger strike.