Georgian President welcomes Justice Ministry’s offer to transfer imprisoned ex-President Saakashvili to civilian clinic
“It is a matter of the country's reputation and image, which requires transparency, great care and monitoring so that there is no danger and [Saakashvili’s] health is protected as much as possible,” the statement reads. Photo: President's Administration
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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.
The Presidential Administration said Zourabichvili considered “all measures” had to be taken to ensure the health of the former President, stressing the importance of eliminating questions regarding the issue “both in the society and from European partners”.
It is a matter of the country's reputation and image, which requires transparency, great care and monitoring so that there is no danger and [Saakashvili’s] health is protected as much as possible,” the statement reads.
Justice Minister Rati Bregadze announced earlier today the Ministry’s offer to transfer Saakashvili to Vivamedi, a civilian clinic in the capital of Tbilisi, and noted the former President was provided with “adequate treatment” in prison but refused to follow the recommendations and take the full complement of medications.
In response to the offer, Saakashvili has set a number of conditions before agreeing to the transfer, including ensuring permanent access to him for family members, his personal physician Nikoloz Kipshidze, and members of a commission set up by the Empathy non-governmental organisation to monitor his condition, along with lawyers and members of the Parliament.
Additionally, Saakashvili has asked for the involvement of the Empathy Centre in his medical examination and treatment, with the participation of members of the Public Defender's Medical Council set up for the same purpose.
A report by the Council, formed by the country’s Public Defender, said in late April the former President had developed anorexia and was suffering from a lack of proteins as a result of a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, recommending a “timely, complex neuro-psychological and physical rehabilitation” for him.
Saakashvili, who currently holds Ukrainian citizenship, is serving a sentence for abuse of power stemming back to his time as President. He was detained after his clandestine return to Georgia in October last year, prior to the 2021 municipal elections.
The Georgian Justice Ministry has proposed transferring the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili to Vivamedi, a civilian clinic in capital Tbilisi, for medical checks and treatment, Minister Rati Bregadze said after the Government meeting 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 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.
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.
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.
Archil Talakvadze, the Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Wednesday said the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili was “not in a position to impose political conditions” in return for accepting the Justice Ministry’s offer to transfer him from prison healthcare to a civilian clinic.
There is no precedent in Georgia for transferring a convicted prisoner abroad for medical treatment, Justice Minister Rati Bregadze said on Thursday in reference to calls from a part of the political opposition to enable the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili to receive medical service abroad.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said the ruling party would “always” appreciate “any statement” by President Salome Zourabichvili that was “based on national interests”.