Saakashvili is Feeling Weak and Can Barely Walk, Says his Lawyer
By Khatia Bzhalava
Wednesday, November 17
It has been 49 days since the third president of Georgia went on hunger strike, taking only liquids and vitamins. Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze has stated that a group of physicians will report on ex-president Saakashvili’s health daily to eliminate misinformation, claiming that the former president is receiving ‘all necessary medical services’ in Gldani Prison No.18 hospital.
According to the Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia, the health condition of former president Mikheil Saakashvili is stable and as Deputy head of the Medical Department of the facility, Giorgi Chidrashvili reports, major parameters such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration are within the norm.
Saakashvili's lawyer, Nika Gvaramia, told the journalist later that the ex-president feels very weak and can barely walk. “He felt dizzy and could not stand steadily. Saakashvili feels very bad. I think the countdown is already on,” Gvaramia claimed.
As the press release of the Strasbourg court reads, the European Court of Human Rights has decided to indicate interim measures in the case Saakashvili v. Georgia concerning the applicant’s health situation. The ECHR has requested that the Georgian government inform them about Saakashvili’s health situation, ensure his safety in prison, and provide him with appropriate medical care. The Court has also urged the applicant to call off his hunger strike.
Meanwhile, opposition parties and Saakashvili’s supporters are holding regular rallies demanding Saakashvili’s transfer from a prison hospital to a civil clinic. The former president released a letter from the prison hospital on November 11, saying that he is ready to call off his hunger strike if taken to a multifunctional clinic for rehabilitation. On November 15, the ex-president’s son, Eduard Saakashvili, released a video address, in which he notes that his father is ‘in danger’ and urges the government to place him in a civil clinic.
“When my father was arrested, I sincerely thought that he would be given proper conditions, treated with dignity and that his health would not be threatened but we saw what happened,” said Saakashvili, claiming that he is startled by the way his father was treated following his arrest. According to him, what is happening now has gone beyond political justice and turned into very dangerous retribution. “We face either indifference or, in the worse scenario, premeditated murder,” he said.
Yesterday, a trial hearing was held which concerned Saakashvili’s illegal border crossing from Ukraine to Georgia. The Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia has refused to bring him to the court, citing ‘prevention of provocations by opposition activists’, as well as complications in Saakashvili’s health. The former president has refused online participation in the trial hearing, stating that he wishes to attend it in person.
Saakashvili was convicted in absentia in 2018 for abuse of power and was sentenced to six years in prison. He has also been charged with five other offences, including misuse of state funds and illegal rally dispersal. He was arrested in Tbilisi on October 1.
