Mother of Mikheil Saakashvili denies fmr. president accuses gov’t of poisoning
In her remarks, Alasania urged the public to refrain from “gaining political points” on his son’s “deteriorating health”. Photo: IPN
Tweet 
Share
Giuli Alasania, the mother of the imprisoned former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, on Thursday said his son was not accusing the Georgian government of poisoning him in detention, and believed “traces” originating in a “foreign state” could be related to his medical condition.
In her remarks, Alasania urged the public to refrain from “gaining political points” on his son’s “deteriorating health”.
My son does not accuse Georgians or the Georgian authorities of poisoning. If the poisoning really took place, he believes that there are traces and handwriting of a foreign state, which, as you know, considers my son as an enemy”, Alasania said in an apparent reference to Russia.
“I call on everyone to refrain from gaining political points on my son's deteriorating health. This is where the matter of life and death of a person, my son, is decided. I ask everyone to pay attention to the mother's position and show maximum restraint”, She noted.
Alasania also stressed Saakashvili did not intend to continue “any activity” in Georgian politics.
Saakashvili on Monday dismissed claims by his lawyer Valeri Gelbakhiani over his alleged poisoning while in custody, stating he had never told any of his lawyers he had suspected poisoning had triggered his current “complicated health”.
Georgian justice minister Rati Bregadze on Tuesday said the government was offering the imprisoned former president to bring “any doctor from any foreign clinic” and involve them in his treatment in Georgia.
The comments also follow a new report on Saakashvili’s health, which cited his “psychological intolerance” to detention. Mikheil Sarjveladze, the chair of the Georgian parliament's committee on human rights, on Monday said the clause could not serve as a basis for granting individuals release from prison, pointing out the information made public on diagnoses and health condition of Saakashvili was “not enough” to warrant his transfer abroad for treatment.
Saakashvili, a citizen of Ukraine, was arrested in Tbilisi in October 2021 on his clandestine return to Georgia ahead of municipal elections.
Georgian Dream authorities have maintained the rights of the former president have been “fully protected”, including in his transfer for treatment to Gori Military Hospital in November and then to Vivamedi clinic on May 12, as Saakashvili went on hunger strike shortly after his arrest.
The former president is serving a six-year term for abuse of power in two separate cases stemming back to his time in office, while three other cases are pending.
Lawyers of Mikheil Saakashvili, the imprisoned former president of Georgia, on Thursday appealed to Tbilisi City Court for granting his release on medical grounds, citing a new report by a domestic rehabilitation centre that pointed to potential “coma and death” for the former official in detention.
Mikheil Sarjveladze, the chair of the Georgian parliament's committee on human rights, on Monday said “psychological intolerance” to detention environment was “not a reason” for granting individuals release from prison, pointing out the information made public on diagnoses and health condition of the imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili was “not enough” to warrant his transfer abroad for treatment.
Georgian justice minister Rati Bregadze on Tuesday said the government was offering the imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili to bring “any doctor from any foreign clinic” and involve them in his treatment in Georgia.
Mikheil Saakashvili, the imprisoned former president of Georgia, on Monday dismissed claims by his lawyer Valeri Gelbakhiani over his alleged poisoning while in custody, stating he had “never” told any of his lawyers he had suspected poisoning had triggered his current “complicated health”.
Mikheil Sarjveladze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Committee on Human Rights, on Tuesday said the opposition United National Movement party was trying to help the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili avoid having to serve the rest of his sentence and "running a PR campaign" for the purpose.
The imprisoned former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili is engaged in “self-harm”, refusing to follow doctors’ instructions, and eating “only what he wants and when he wants”, Justice Minister Rati Bregadze told Imedi TV on Tuesday.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Wednesday said the imprisoned former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili had been offered by Justice Minister Rati Bregadze to invite “any doctor from any country” for his medical treatment, but the aim of Saakashvili’s lawyer was to release him from custody on the medical grounds and not to heal him in Georgia.
Anri Okhanashvili, the Head of the Georgian Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday said the health and safety of imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili was “in the best interests” of the Government.
A trial hearing in Tbilisi City Court on granting the release of imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili on medical grounds or postponing the rest of his sentence has been postponed from Friday to Wednesday.
Vice Prime Minister Thea Tsulukiani on Friday expressed her hope that imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili would stop “self-harming” and resume his normal diet, in response to recent comments by doctors that the former official “eats what he wants and when he wants”, refusing to follow their instructions.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday said the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili and his entourage “must come to terms with the reality” that the former official will “have to serve his sentence”, in comments on the ongoing controversies related to the former official’s health.
Zurab Chkhaidze, the Clinical Director of Vivamedi clinic in Tbilisi, on Thursday rejected claims by the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili and his legal team that said he had suffered “several blackout episodes” over the past several days due to “very complicated” health condition.
Georgia’s imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili has lost his appeal for release or postponement of the rest of his sentence on health grounds, with Tbilisi City Court on Monday denying the application in the case that has been surrounded by public debate.