Justice Minister rejects accusations of torture of ex-Pres. Saakashvili, stresses justice “must be executed”
Under the rule of law, an "accuser" is obliged to prove the allegations and in this case, Saakashvili’s family and his supporters “have not provided any evidence” of torture or inhuman treatment of ex-Pres., Bregadze emphasised. Photo via Justice Ministry
Tweet 
Share
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”.
Georgia is the rule-of-law state and a sentence must be executed”, Bregadze said in an interview for Imedi TV.
Under the rule of law, an "accuser" is obliged to prove the allegations and in this case, Saakashvili’s family and his supporters “have not provided any evidence” of torture or inhuman treatment of ex-Pres., Bregadze emphasised.
The minister called on everyone to stop "politicising" the execution of justice around Saakashvili. He has to follow doctors’ recommendations, otherwise his health will deteriorate, Bregadze noted, adding the Government's interest was to ensure the health of the imprisoned former President, unlike the interests of the “radical group” of his supporters.
The Tbilisi City Court rejected claims of Saakashvili’s legal team on an alleged need for his “urgent treatment abroad due to multiple and serious health problems”. Georgian Government members and penitentiary authorities have been challenging the position by saying the former President has been engaged in “self-harm through disobeying doctors”, in a bid to facilitate his “illegal release” from detention.
Saakashvili, who has Ukrainian citizenship and held a public post in the country, was arrested on return to Georgia in October 2021 and is serving a six-year term for abuse of power in a case he had been convicted on. He has been undergoing treatment in the Vivamedi civilian clinic in Tbilisi since May 2022, with three other cases against him pending.
Georgia’s Justice Minister Rati Bregadze on Monday rejected reports by several domestic media outlets that said his meeting with ambassadors of the European Union and Sweden earlier during the day had concerned the transfer of the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili abroad on health grounds.
Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze on Sunday said the “wish” of the Georgian Government to ensure “good health” of the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili was “not reciprocated” in the actions of the former official.
The Georgian Government has been creating the “maximum support and comfort” for the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili, providing him with “all privileges” that no other prisoners have, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili responded to a question on Saturday at the panel discussion, held within scope of the Munich Security Conference.
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”.
Irakli Kadagishvili, the Chair of the Rules and Procedural Issues Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, on Thursday said “all international organisations” should call on the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili to “abandon the policy of self-harm” in detention.
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 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”.
Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze on Thursday, after the meeting with the representatives of the diplomatic corps in the country, said “there were not any questions” concerning the European Court of Human Rights ruling, which had rejected the imprisoned former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s request to be transferred to Poland for treatment.
The European Court of Human Rights on Thursday rejected as “inadmissible” complaints brought by the imprisoned former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili against Ukraine on alleged mistreatment and politically motivated decisions against him dating back to 2017 and 2018.
Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze on Tuesday called on imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili and “people who are sincerely concerned with his recovery” to follow doctors’ recommendations, instead of “manipulating” his health.
Health professionals invited by the Georgian Public Defender’s Office have observed “some positive dynamics” in the condition of Mikheil Saakashvili, the imprisoned former President of Georgia, pointing out his improved sleep among the trends.
Rati Bregadze, the Georgian Justice Minister, on Wednesday said comments by United National Movement, the largest opposition group in the country’s Parliament, that positioned the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili as the party’s leader were a “classic example of informal rule” in the group.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday warned the Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili against pardoning the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili.
Kakha Kaladze, the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party and Tbilisi Mayor, on Monday warned President Salome Zourabichvili against pardoning the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili.