Georgian Public Defender “ready to discuss” imprisoned former President Saakashvili’s medical condition with Justice Ministry, Penitentiary Service
Lomjaria also responded to the Justice Minister who recently raised a question on whether the Public Defender had disclosed information on Saakashvili’s health and thereby broken regulations on personal data. She said she had received authorisation from the imprisoned former President to make the information public. Photo: Public Defender's Facebook
Tweet 
Share
Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria on Wednesday said she was ready to discuss the matter of the health condition of the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili with “competent medical representatives” of the Justice Ministry and Penitentiary Service, and called on the state institutions to avoid “delaying” a review of the matter.
Speaking following comments by Saakashvili’s supporters on alleged deterioration of his health in detention, and responses from state authorities denying the former, Lomjaria said she and a group of medical experts would like to hold an “expert discussion” of the matter and make it public.
The Ombudswoman urged the Ministry and the Service against “artificially delaying” the discussion, citing the condition of Saakashvili was “considered to have deteriorated significantly and a timely provision of qualified medical care is crucial”.
Lomjaria also responded to the Justice Minister who recently raised a question on whether the Public Defender had disclosed information on Saakashvili’s health and thereby broken regulations on personal data. She said she had received authorisation from the imprisoned former President to make the information public.
A group of physicians appointed by the Public Defender published an evaluation last week that said Saakashvili’s health had “further deteriorated” since their previous visit to the Rustavi No. 12 Prison in January. The United National Movement opposition party and family of the imprisoned ex-President have requested Saakashvili be allowed to leave for treatment abroad.
Saakashvili was arrested in Tbilisi last fall 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, illegal rally dispersal and illegal border crossing.
Georgian Minister of Justice Rati Bregadze on Monday said the country’s former President Mikheil Saakashvili was receiving “proper treatment” in prison, with “all necessary conditions” created by authorities both for ensuring adequate diet and visitor access to the politician.
The issue of the imprisoned former President Saakashvili is “not a very important one” today, the President Salome Zourabichvili said in an interview published by Foreign Policy on Thursday.
The Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia on Wednesday rejected media reports on the possible poisoning or intoxication of the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili in detention as “targeted" and "defamatory”.
Georgia’s imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili is not a political prisoner and should be held accountable for actions during his presidency, Aleko Elisashvili, the Chairperson of the Citizens opposition party, said on Tuesday.
Police arrested 25 supporters of the imprisoned former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili from the United National Movement opposition party for “administrative violations” during a rally in western Georgia’s coastal city of Batumi late on Friday, the Interior Ministry said.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has welcomed the proposal by the country’s Justice Ministry to transfer the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili to a civilian clinic for medical examination and treatment on Tuesday.
Georgia’s Justice Ministry on Wednesday called on the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili to accept health services offered to him in detention “without preconditions,” following a list of demands released by the politician as terms for accepting an offer of his transfer to a civilian clinic for medical checks.
Georgia's imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili is leaving the United National Movement opposition party and Georgian politics as “his agenda has changed” and taking care of own health has become his main task, lawyer Valeri Gelbakhiani announced on Saturday.