US & EU Ambassadors Call On Gov’t to Provide Proper Medical Care For Saakashvili
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Wednesday, November 10
U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan has urged the Government of Georgia to ensure that Mikheil Saakashvili is immediately provided with ‘medical care that he needs in a fully equipped medical facility.’
“The United States is still actively monitoring the detention and health of Mikheil Saakashvili,” the US Ambassador said. She added that in any country, the government has the responsibility to protect inmates from mental abuse and allow medical well-being and safety. She highlighted that the imprisoned former president should be treated fairly following Georgian law and international standards.
“It is our strong recommendation to the government to ensure he is provided with the medical and mental healthcare he needs in a fully equipped medical facility,” she stressed.
Degnan cited the report by the Public Defender’s Office, according to which, #18 prison hospital in Gldani is not sufficiently well-equipped to provide hunger-striking ex-President a proper treatment. Degnan added that according to the assessment by Saakashvili’s medical team, he is a high-risk patient.
In addition, the ambassador urged Mr. Saakashvili to accept the recommendation of his doctors and agree to the medical care he needs. Degnan highlighted the sensitive and highly emotional aspect of the situation. According to her, the focus needs to be shifted to addressing Saakashvili’s mental health and physical well-being.
EU Ambassador Carl Hartzell has also called on the Georgian government to provide proper medical care for the imprisoned ex-president.
Hartzell noted that the EU is closely monitoring Saakashvili in prison, and the Georgian authorities should make 'every effort to fully uphold' the former president's rights.
“These rights include the right to stand trial in transparent, fair, and due judicial proceedings and the right to adequate healthcare as well as privacy and dignity whilst in prison,” he added.
The ambassadors further expressed their support for the Ombudswoman Nino Lomjaria, who is frequently criticized by the ruling Georgian Dream party members.
Degnan emphasized that the Georgian Public Defender's office deserves to be 'commended, not criticized,' while Hartzell referred to the Ombudswoman as the EU's 'trusted local partner.
Public Defender Nino Lomjaria, who visited Saakashvili in the prison hospital, said that the former president thought he would be transferred to a civil hospital rather than another prison's clinic. She added that the penitentiary medical center was not equipped with medical devices recommended by the medical council that monitored Saakashvili's health.
Saakashvili was arrested in Tbilisi on October 1 after a clandestine return from 8 years of political exile. He considers himself a ‘political prisoner’ and has been on a hunger strike for over 40 days. The 3rd President of Georgia was serving his sentence in Rustavi Prison No.12, however, on November 8, he was transferred to Gldani prison hospital to ‘prevent deterioration in his health due to increased risks’, as the penitentiary service reported. The government has so far refused to take Saakashvili to a civilian hospital.
On November 9, the meeting with the representatives of the opposition with Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Erika Olson was held at the residence of the US Ambassador.
“The diplomat is very well informed about the current events, we discussed two issues, Saakashvili's situation, and the rigged elections,” Tina Bokchava of the National Movement commented.
According to her, the Ivanishvili regime is in jeopardy, but various tools are used with partner countries when they do not fulfill their commitments to international partners. One such tool is subjecting them to sanctions, which, she claimed, Olson herself had already mentioned once.
“We request that these sanctions be targeted at judges and representatives of Ivanishvili's regime so that they stop harming Georgian people.”
A meeting with representatives of non-governmental organizations and the Public Defender was also held at the same place. According to the participants of the meeting, the conversation focused on the political processes in the country. Representatives of non-governmental organizations said they focused on clan governance in the court. They said that the meeting stressed the need for fundamental changes in the direction of justice.
The issue of sanctioning judges was discussed at the meeting. It was also mentioned that Saakashvili's rights were violated when he was transferred to the hospital near Gldani prison instead of a multi-profile clinic.
Georgian Dream held a meeting with Olson the previous day. As party chairman Irakli Kobakhidze announced Saakashvili was not mentioned during the meeting at all.
“As for other topics, we talked about the post-election environment in the country… and the future development and our vision regarding the role of Georgia in the region.”
Meanwhile, the opposition is holding rallies supporting Saakashvili and protesting the results of local self-government runoffs. Nika Melia, the chairman of the United National Movement, says that the opposition will hold several rallies in Tbilisi today. According to him, the rallies will be held at 11:00 am with the Ministry of Justice of Georgia, the State Security Service, and the Ministry of Health of Georgia.
“Every morning we will have a specific plan. You will be informed of the plans at several points. There will always be one point that I will not name and the Georgian Dream special forces or the police chiefs will have to break their heads to figure it out. We must gather our strength...Remember that a person is on the 40th day, starving and we do not have the right to sit at home.” he said at the rally held in front of the parliament yesterday.
Recall that Saakashvili's trial is scheduled to be held on November 9 at 13:00 and 11:00 rallies will meet at the City Courtyard.
