Some MEPs, former Public Defender, opposition parties have to apologise after ECHR’s decision on Saakashvili - ruling party head

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.

The ECHR ruling, announced by Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze on Friday, had neither accepted Saakashvili’s lawyers’ request for his transfer to Poland nor instructed the Georgian authorities to move the former official to another treatment facility within the country.

The ECHR confirmed that the Georgian Government has been acting in compliance with the [human rights] standards, protecting human rights regardless of the gravity of an offence committed by a particular prisoner”, Kobakhidze stressed in his comment to the media.

Though, he said the Government “did not expect apologies” from those MEPs who had supported the resolutions, calling the Georgian Government to allow the transfer of Saakashvili abroad for treatment “on humanitarian grounds”, as their actions were part of their “political interests”.

The European Court’s ruling “poured cold water” over the “campaign” of Saakashvili’s supporters, by providing “appropriate answers” and rejecting all of their speculations in respect to Saakashvili’s treatment under arrest, Kobakhidze added.

He also called “radical domestic opposition’s aggression” towards the ECHR “understandable”, as the court had affirmed the “torture and inhumane treatment” of people during the ruling of the United National Movement - the previous Government.