Justice Minister calls on everyone to stop “politicising” execution of justice around ex-Pres. Saakashvili
He stressed the Special Penitentiary Service, the Ministry of Justice, and the medical staff of the Vivamedi clinic [where Saakashvili has been receiving treatment since May 12] could not be held responsible for the patient's “self-harm” as the former President was not following the relevant medical protocol. Photo via Justice Ministry
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Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze on Wednesday called on everyone to stop “politicising” the execution of justice and “supporting” the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili’s “self-harm”.
The “false information”, “deliberately” spread by Saakashvili’s lawyers and his political team [the United National Movement] on Tuesday, alleging that the former President was transferred to the intensive care unit, has been “manipulation” with the latter’s health to achieve “political goals” and by this, form “wrong” public perception about his health, Bregadze said.
There is no “objective reason” to transfer Saakashvili to the ICU, the Minister said, citing Clinical Director of the Vivamedi clinic Zurab Chkhaidze, who stated that Saakashvili’s physiological parameters remained “within the norm”, while his body mass index did not correspond to requirements for ICU treatment.
He stressed the Special Penitentiary Service, the Ministry of Justice, and the medical staff of the Vivamedi clinic [where Saakashvili has been receiving treatment since May 12] could not be held responsible for the patient's “self-harm” as the former President was not following the relevant medical protocol.
Bregadze noted the Ministry would not be “loyal” towards political campaigns aimed at damaging the country’s image and “ensuring” Saakashvili’s release from prison on medical grounds by supporting his “self-harming” in a bid to “escape justice”. The above-mentioned “dangerous precedent” can have an “encouraging” effect on other prisoners, which may become a “serious challenge” for the state.
Zurab Chkhaidze, the Clinical Director of the Vivamedi clinic in Tbilisi, on Tuesday rejected claims by family members and lawyers of the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili who said the latter was in “urgent need” of treatment in an intensive care unit.
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.
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.
Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze on Thursday said the health reports of the Georgian-based rehabilitation centre Empathy on imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili’s condition were not “reliable and infallible”, based on the conclusions of the Levan Samkharauli National Forensics Bureau.
Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze on Wednesday said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s statement alleging that the Georgian Government had been torturing the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili was “unfair and insulting”.
Maka Botchorishvili, the Head of the European Integration Committee in the Georgian Parliament, on Thursday said it was “regrettable” to see domestic opposition and imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili “putting forth such great efforts” against the country’s European integration and trying to involve Georgia’s international partners in this process.
Nino Nadiradze, the head of the Vivamedi clinic in Tbilisi where the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili is undergoing treatment, on Friday said the former official’s “non-adjustment” to life in detention was a major cause of his health problems.
A disclosure of the law firm Akerman with the United States Justice Department has shown it received $917,177 from the family of the imprisoned former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili for the purpose of lobbying US Government officials to help free the former official.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday said the opposition United National Movement party had created “false narratives and dilemmas” in positioning the matter of the release of the imprisoned former President and UNM founder Mikheil Saakashvili in the light of the country’s European integration prospects.
The Justice Training Centre of Georgia has become the Chair of the European Penitentiary Training Academies, a body uniting 36 member states of the Council of Europe to enhance cooperation, share knowledge and best practices among training institutions of the penitentiary system across the continent.
Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze on Friday told the Parliament the country’s citizens would enjoy simplified international travel checks with chips, instead of holograms, being used for inspecting their passports.