Health Minister says penitentiary system ensuring health and rights of “any prisoner”

Azarashvili also noted the ability of the National Forensics Bureau to carry out a toxicological examination of Saakashvili with the purpose of establishing facts around claims by the former officials entourage and legal team about his alleged poisoning. Photo: Government Administration

Agenda.ge, 27 Dec 2022 - 12:03, Tbilisi,Georgia

Georgian Health Minister Zurab Azarashvili on Monday highlighted the penitentiary system’s attitude of ensuring health of patients and rights of prisoners, a state of affairs he contrasted with conditions during the former Government, in comments about the latest developments around the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili.

During the previous [United National Movement] Government, there was no such attitude [towards prisoners] and there was a drastically different picture. Today, the Government has the ability to take care of any patient and, if necessary, provide medical services, with the conditions and infrastructure that are important for prisoners”, the Government official said. 

Azarashvili also noted the ability of the National Forensics Bureau to carry out a toxicological examination of Saakashvili with the purpose of establishing facts around claims by the former officials entourage and legal team about his alleged poisoning.

The Minister’s comments follow a statement by Georgia’s Special Investigation Service, which on Monday said Saakashvili and his team had refused to provide samples for analysis by the Bureau on traces of alleged presence of poisonous substances in his body.