Ombudsperson of Ukraine visits Georgia, Meets Saakashvili
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Friday, October 29
Ombudsperson of Ukraine Lyudmyla Denisova visited Georgia and met Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia’s third president, in prison. While talking with reporters, Denisova said that she had problems entering the country. She said that she was questioned for 40 minutes on the border about the reasons for her entering the country.
“A Ukrainian lawyer was not allowed an entry in Georgia. I have to say, I didn't want to say anything before meeting with Saakashvili so that I would not have problems meeting him — yesterday, for 40 minutes, I was being questioned about why I was coming to Georgia. I was only granted an entry after a few calls. Everything is not as simple as it seems,” said Denisova.
According to Denisova, Saakashvili declares himself a personal prisoner of Putin and refuses to be transferred to a prison medical facility where there are questions about his safety.
“He said he was getting weaker every day, had four crises, two of them - hypertensive. Resuscitation crews are on duty at the prison gates to perform cardiac massages if necessary. But we are well aware that on the 27th day of the hunger there is a danger that any organ will cease to function, and the ambulance brigade may not be able to help it in this case, the transfer to the clinic may be too late,” said Denisova.
Denisova believes that Mikheil Saakashvili's right to a fair trial is being violated in Georgia, as, despite the lawyers' request, no hearings are scheduled in the cases against which Saakashvili has been charged and no verdict has been handed down.
The Public Defender of Ukraine plans to provide information about Mikheil Saakashvili to the President of Ukraine after her return.
The Public Defender of Georgia is concerned about the obstacles created for the Public Defender of Ukraine at the Georgian border. Nino Lomjaria believes that such facts are categorically unacceptable in a democratic state and damages the country's reputation.
Lombardia also responded to the deportation of a Ukrainian lawyer and journalist from the Georgian border and plans to investigate them.
Recently, the Ambassador of the United States to Georgia, Kelly C. Degnan said that she is glad that a multidisciplinary team is monitoring Saakashvili's health in prison. She also said that the US is also closely observing Saakashvili's condition.
Saakashvili has been on a hunger strike since his arrest in Tbilisi on October 1. He refused to receive all types of hunger-related treatment except for the non-starvation-related medicines.
It was also said that he refuses to be taken into the prison hospital as there are serious safety concerns for him and demands to be granted the right to get treatment in a civil hospital. On the other hand, Justice Minister Rati Bregadze said that the prison hospital is fully equipped and ready to treat Saakashvili and there is no need to transfer him anywhere else.
