NGOs call on Council of Europe to monitor ex-pres. Saakashvili’s rights condition in prison
NGOs stated that the assessment of the ex-president’s rights condition by ‘international monitoring body would contribute to the respect of human rights in Georgia.’ Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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A total of 20 NGOs have addressed the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) to observe the human rights situation of former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili who has been on hunger strike in prison for 43 days.
The statement reads that the Gldani No. 18 prison hospital, where the ex-president was transferred against his will on Monday, ‘poses a serious threat in terms of the physical safety’ of Saakashvili, noting that in prison hospital he is not protected from ‘psychological pressure’ as well.
Most prisoners are members of the criminal underworld, while Saakashvili’s office is associated with crackdown on criminals. This increases the risk of physical violence from other prisoners to a maximum degree,” the statement says.
Day 43 of a hunger strike. #FreeSaakashvili
— Mikheil Saakashvili (@SaakashviliM) November 12, 2021
NGOs say that ‘Georgian human rights organisations have been witnessing on a daily basis the inhuman and degrading treatment of Saakashvili.’
The former president claimed that the purpose of his transfer to prison hospital was ‘his physical destruction under Russian president Vladimir Putin’s order,’ claiming that he was verbally and physically abused during the process.
The State Inspector’s Service has launched an investigation into the alleged offence during which Saakashvili was questioned and medically examined.
The Penitentiary Service released a video yesterday depicting the ex-president’s transfer to the prison hospital which was evaluated as ‘violation of prisoner’s right to honour, dignity and privacy’ by Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria.
Strasbourg Court did not satisfy Saakashvili's request on his transfer to private clinic and urged him to call off hunger strike. pic.twitter.com/KgTnRw7Tzm
— Justice Ministry GEO (@Justice_geo) November 11, 2021
Saakashvili stated yesterday that he will stop the hunger strike if he is taken to a multifunctional civil clinic for rehabilitation following the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) interim judgment which urged him to call off his hunger strike.
The ECHR also demanded that the Georgian government inform them about Saakashvili’s health and ensure proper medical care for him now and after his hunger strike. It also ‘decided to give priority to [Saakashvili’s] application.’
NGOs stated that the assessment of the ex-president’s rights condition by ‘international monitoring body would contribute to the respect of human rights in Georgia.’
The signatories of the statement are:
- The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI)
- Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI)
- Psycho-Rehabilitation Centre for Victims of Torture RCT/Empathy
- Rehabilitation Initiative for Vulnerable Groups
- Society and Banks
- Prison Reform International
- In Depth Reporting and Economic Analysis Center
- Transparency International Georgia (TI Georgia)
- Tolerance and Diversity Institute
- Rights Georgia
- Georgian Reform Association
- Governance Monitoring Center
- Media Development Foundation
- International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED)
- Open Society Georgia Foundation
- Economic Policy Research Center
- Human Rights Center
- Sapari
- Atlantic Council of Georgia
- Ilia Chavchavadze Center for European Studies and Civic Education
The imprisoned former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, who claims to be on a hunger strike, has released a letter from Gldani prison hospital, saying that he will stop the hunger strike if he is taken to a multifunctional civil clinic for rehabilitation. Saakashvili said that he decided to call off his hunger strike after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) urged him to do so.
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.
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.’
Civil organisations have called on the government of Georgia to transfer the former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili from Gldani Prison No.18 hospital to an ‘alternative medical institution. In a joint statement, seven organisations maintain that Saakashvili’s transfer to a prison hospital posed the risk of ‘escalating the political situation’ in the country, and the ‘full responsibility’ for the events rests with the government.
Representative of Georgian Public Defender's office Mikheil Gogadze stated that ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, who is on a hunger strike for more than a month, has been transferred to Gldani No.18 prison hospital under protest earlier today.
Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze has denied MEP Anna Fotyga's request to visit the imprisoned former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili in prison hospital saying that currently, due to health and safety reasons, only the visitors specified by the Prison Code of Georgia are allowed to make visits. The Prison Code of Georgia states that the accused and convicted persons have a right to a meeting with close relatives, defence lawyers, or diplomatic representatives.
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.
The Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia has said that the imprisoned former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili's health is stable and under constant medical surveillance, refuting speculation on Saakashvili's alleged health deterioration. The penitentiary service asserts that Saakashvili does not need intensive care, but the Gldani prison hospital, where he had been transferred a few days ago, is equipped with 'all necessary modern technique.'
Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria has stated that the medical council created to monitor the health condition of ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili ‘should intensify its work’ and called on the Georgian Justice Ministry and the Special Penitentiary Service to ‘ensure the full protection of his health.’