As the condition of Georgia’s imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili worsens, the Government continues to reject the possibility of transferring him to a multi-functional civilian hospital despite recommendations of the Public Defender as well as medics.
Saakashvili, who is on 45th day of hunger strike has been placed – against his will and as it turned out by deceit - in the hospital of the Gldani Prison No 8 declared as inadequate by the Ombudsman as well as medics both in medically as well as security wise.
Public Defender Nino Lomjaria has stressed that hundreds of convicts placed in the prison chant insults towards Saakashvili on regular basis.
Ms Lomjaria said chanting takes place even when she visits the prison “wholly covered.”
“This gives ground to doubts on how could they identify me if this was not coordinated or pre-organized,” she said.
Members of the Government-appointed collegium of doctors were denied access to Saakashvili Sunday evening citing “non-working hours” triggering concerns Saakashvili’s life may be in danger.
Former Polish Foreign Minister and MEP Ana Fotyga and Lithuanian MP Raimundas Lopata who traveled to Tbilisi to visit Saakashvili in jail were denied access.
Georgian Dream Chair Irakli Kobakhidze attacked Fotyga and all western political figures expressing concern over the state of democracy in Georgia as “UNM lobbysts” and “backers of criminals.”
“The matter is simple: either these people will admit, that Georgia is a state and that in any state, the law shall prevail, or we would have to expose them as protectors of criminals. They have to show, that they are friends of Georgia and not friends of Saakashvili and his criminal teammates,” Kobakhidze said in a starkly worded statement.
“Every attempt to discredit the Georgian judicial system has a single objective – protection of criminals and an attempt to shield them from just punishment for the crimes they have committed in the past or will commit in the future. We can’t stay indifferent towards these attempts and those parties, media sources, non-governmental organizations, and foreign lobbyists that are behind them,” he added.
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