Amnesty International says that attacks against the Georgian public advocate during her human rights work ‘are unacceptable,’ and that the Georgian government should respect the work of human rights institutions.
Attacks against the Georgian Ombudsperson doing their human rights work are unacceptable. The Government should respect not undermine the work of human rights institutions and implement their recommendations to prioritize protection of human life and health.
— Amnesty International (@amnesty) November 18, 2021
Head of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party Irakli Kobakhidze accused a medical panel invited by public advocate Nino Lomjaria of coming to a ‘fake conclusion’ about the health of former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, stating that this may cause legal trouble for Lomjaria.
The medical panel said on November 17 that Saakashvili’s health condition, who has been on hunger strike for 50 days, was ‘critical,’ and that he needs an ‘immediate transfer’ to a multipurpose, well-equipped civil clinic.
When a fake conclusion is made, and if Saakashvili is really brought to a civil clinic in view of that conclusion, where opposition may cause unrest, this will raise the liability of the public advocate,” Kobakhidze said.
The US Department of State and the EU have praised Lomjaria for her efforts in Saakashvili’s health case.