Justice Minister: Ukrainian President’s statement on ex-Pres. Saakashvili “unfair, insulting”
Zelenskyy must bring “at least one proof of torture” while making such declarations, as all statements, especially made by high officials, require relevant evidence, otherwise, they will not be acceptable, the Minister said. Photo via Justice Ministry
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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”.
Bregadze was responding to Zelenskyy’s statement, which he made earlier today, saying the Georgian Government was “publicly torturing” Ukrainian citizen Saakashvili and trying to “kill” him. He added he would not discuss the former Georgian President’s arrest, as it was an “internal issue” of Georgia.
Zelenskyy must bring “at least one proof of torture” while making such declarations, as all statements, especially made by high officials, require relevant evidence, otherwise, they will not be acceptable, the Minister said.
He stressed the practice of “inhumane treatment and torture”, under Saakashvili’s administration, had become a “thing of the past”, and accusing the country of torture was “completely” unacceptable by “anyone”. Bregadze added the Government “always” refrained” from evaluating the “unfair” comments made by “certain” politicians in Ukraine, due to its warlike situation.
Saakashvili, who currently holds Ukrainian citizenship and held public positions in the country before his arrest in Tbilisi in October 2021, following his clandestine return, has also been charged with other offences dating back to his time in office in Georgia, with three cases pending in courts.
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”.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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”.