President Zourabichvili won’t consider pardoning imprisoned former president Saakashvili

President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili will present her annual report to the Georgian Parliament today, with MPs saying they expect her address to focus primarily on the situation in Ukraine amid the Russian invasion and the importance of consolidation on the Georgian political scene around the matter.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has welcomed the decision of the Georgian government to admit former president of the country Mikheil Saakashvili to Gori military hospital, stating that the clinic ‘meets all medical and safety standards.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has reiterated her previous claims that she will not pardon arrested ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili. She said Saakashvili, who was arrested a day before the October 2 municipal elections in Tbilisi ‘does not satisfy any criteria of a political prisoner or of a victim of innocence’.

Georgian Minister of Justice Rati Bregadze has dismissed the fears of the opposition that ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, who was arrested in Tbilisi on October 1, would face threats if taken to a prison hospital for treatment instead of a civic one. 

The Government of Georgia has been “forced” to ask the country’s Constitutional Court to confirm whether the President of Georgia violated the Constitution in her international visits, the Political Council of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party said on Tuesday.

The European Court of Human Rights has decided to strike the application of Georgia’s imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili regarding on his treatment by the country’s penitentiary system off its list of cases, Deputy Justice Minister Beka Dzamashvili said on Friday.

There is “no precondition” for early Parliamentary elections in Georgia and it “makes no sense” to talk about it, Levan Ioseliani, a member of the Citizens opposition party and the Vice Speaker of the Parliament, said on Tuesday following comments by an opposition politician about imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili’s plans for early elections in the country.

The Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia on Friday said media reports on the alleged deterioration of the health condition of the convicted former president Mikheil Saakashvili and inadequate medical care provided to him in prison were “unfounded” and an “attempt to mislead the public”.

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.

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.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Friday denied intentions to pardon the imprisoned former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili or the recently imprisoned Director General of Mtavari Arkhi channel Nika Gvaramia.

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”.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili will on Tuesday submit her annual report to the Parliament. It will be Zourabichvili’s final report in her capacity, as her Presidential term ends in October. 

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Tuesday told the country’s Parliament a European state could “not be based on anything other than democratic principles”, with protected rights for citizens.

Mikheil Saakashvili, the imprisoned former President of Georgia, on Friday said the platform for “European unity” in the domestic political scene, initiated by President Salome Zourabichvili this week, was “welcome”.