US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan has commended Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria’s work on the case of ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, noting that attempts to undermine or threaten the advocate's office are unacceptable.
Ambassador Degnan’s statement was preceded by the head of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party Irakli Kobakhidze’s accusation that Lomjaria might face legal troubles due to the conclusion of her medical council that Saakashvili requires ‘immediate transfer’ to a multipurpose civil hospital.
She also said that the US ‘puts great confidence’ in what the public defender’s office reports.
The council of doctors created by Lomjaria’s office has concluded that the ex-president’s condition is ‘critical,’ noting that existing health issues may induce coma and other complications.
The public defender and her team are doing exactly what Georgia’s constitution empowers them to do. They are the defenders of human rights of all citizens of Georgia and they are doing a remarkable job under intense pressure to provide accurate, impartial and objective information that Georgian citizens need,” Ambassador Degnan said.
She also touched upon the issue of the former president’s health and stated that ‘when a human life is at risk there should be no debate about providing the care that is needed.’
Day 49 of a hunger strike - according to his lawyer Mikheil Saakashvili lost consciousness. #FreeSaakashvili
— Mikheil Saakashvili (@SaakashviliM) November 18, 2021
Saakashvili, who is serving a sentence for abuse of power, considers himself a political prisoner and has been on hunger strike since the day he was arrested in Tbilisi on October 1.
Along with Ambassador Degnan, Amnesty International also deplored attacks against the Georgian public advocate, stating that the Georgian government should respect the work of human rights institutions, while the US Department of State has praised Lomjaria’s work on Saakashvili’s case.