Imprisoned former president Saakashvili accuses Justice Ministry of "falsifying" court decisions
Saakashvili was arrested in Tbilisi on October 1 after his clandestine return to Georgia. Photo: ipn.ge
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Mikheil Saakashvili, the former Georgian President currently serving a prison sentence, has accused the Ministry of Justice of "deliberately falsifying" a decision by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on his appeal.
Saakashvili’s statement came in response to the Justice Ministry’s announcement on Friday that the ECHR had decided to strike the imprisoned politician's application alleging ill-treatment by the Georgian penitentiary system off its list of cases.
The former president maintained the Justice Ministry of "deliberate manipulation with false interpretations," adding the action served to "discredit" the European Court before the Georgian society.
I would like to state that it is categorically unacceptable and inadmissible to instrumentalise the Strasbourg Court to create false opinions in the society,” he added.
Deputy Justice Minister Beka Dzamashvili said on Friday the ECHR had found no “special circumstances” in Saakashvili's application relating to respect for human rights, which would have required the body to continue the examination of the case.
In his application, the former president argued he was ill-treated in the Georgian penitentiary system since his imprisonment last year.
Saakashvili was arrested in Tbilisi on October 1 after his clandestine return to Georgia. He had been found guilty of abuse of power in two cases in absentia in 2018 and faces additional charges including illegal seizure of property, embezzlement and illegal rally dispersal and illegal border crossing.