ECHR confirmed Govt’s action towards Saakashvili was “appropriate”, in line with “highest human rights standards” - Parliament Speaker
In his social media post, Papuashvili also noted that right after Saakashvili’s detention, “Georgia has become a target of a large-scale disinformation campaign”, with statements, démarches and resolutions inflicting “unprecedented reputational damage” to the country and its people. Photo via Parliament of Georgia
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Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, on Friday, said the European Court of Human Rights ruling, rejecting the imprisoned former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s request to be transferred to Poland for treatment, confirmed that the Government’s action towards him “was appropriate and in accordance with the highest human rights standards”.
Papuashvili was responding to the ECHR’s ruling, announced by Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze on Friday, which had neither accepted Saakashvili’s lawyers’ request for his transfer abroad nor instructed the Georgian authorities to move the former official to another treatment facility within the country.
In his social media post, Papuashvili also noted that right after Saakashvili’s detention, “Georgia has become a target of a large-scale disinformation campaign”, with statements, démarches and resolutions inflicting “unprecedented reputational damage” to the country and its people.
He stressed the country’s domestic opposition and non-governmental organisations, as well as some foreign politicians and diplomats, “have intentionally or unintentionally participated” in the campaign against Georgia.
The only thing the Georgian people anticipate and deserve today is for those, who inflicted this damage to Georgia with their words and actions, to seek to eliminate the damage with the same vigour. It would serve as a confirmation of friendship and respect to the Georgian people”, the Parliament Speaker noted.
Saakashvili’s lawyers sent a request to ECHR on April 11 asking for support in requesting the postponement of the rest of the former President’s sentence on health grounds and his transfer to Poland for continued medical care.
The former President, who has Ukrainian citizenship and had held a public post in the country, was arrested on return to Georgia in October 2021 and has been serving a six-year term for abuse of power in the case he was convicted on. He has been undergoing treatment at the Vivamedi civilian clinic in Tbilisi since May 2022, with three other cases against him pending.
Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze on Friday said the European Court of Human Rights had rejected the imprisoned former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s request to be transferred to Poland’s capital Warsaw for treatment.
Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze on Tuesday rejected the accusations of torture and inhuman treatment of imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili as “not supported by evidence”, stressing these allegations were “a part of the political agenda”.
Malkhaz Urtkmelidze, the head of the medical department of the Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia, on Tuesday said the country’s imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili had not yet submitted any complete request to involve the Polish doctors in his treatment.
The Tbilisi Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld the verdict of the Tbilisi City Court that denied the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili's release or postponement of the rest of his sentence on health grounds.
Thea Tsulukiani, the Vice Prime Minister of Georgia, on Saturday, “once again” called on the imprisoned former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to stop “self-harm” and restore “food intake”, based on the European Court of Human Rights ruling, which rejected his request to be transferred to Poland for treatment.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Saturday said "generally", some members of the European Parliament, the former Public Defender and various opposition parties had to apologise to the Government, after the European Court of Human Rights confirmed that Georgian authorities “have acted in accordance with the human rights standards” regarding the former President Saakashvili’s treatment in custody.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday called the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili the “only saboteur” as the latter warned of a Russian “subversive group” operating in the country to “spark unrest”.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday rejected as “classic manipulation” the domestic media reports that criticised Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili’s participation in the Belt and Road Forum, an event hosted in China and also involving the Russian President Vladimir Putin, as a case of the Georgian Government’s “bilateral contact” with the Russian leader.
Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze on Tuesday said the imprisoned former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili would be transferred back to a penitentiary facility in case of an “appropriate decision” by the doctors involved in his treatment.