On November 6, Georgia’s Justice Ministry released a video from Rustavi prison in which the Ministry claims the imprisoned President Mikheil Saakashvili is “receiving food.”
In response to the video, Saakashvili published a statement in which he said the medical service of the prison convinced him to receive small amounts of juice and purees which would not be regarded as breach of hunger strike, but “to avoid speculations and insults” he would give that up as well.
“After October 30, upon recommendation of the Penitentiary Medical Department and thorough examination that this is entirely part of the hunger strike protocol, I received several bottles of juice. I do not receive any food,” Saakashvili said. “In order to definitively rule out any shameless speculations aimed at discreditation, or insulting me,” Saakashvili said he was also refusing everything included in the protocol of hunger strike such as minerals, vitamins and tablets of glucose.
On November 6 the Public Defender of Georgia stated Saakashvili had been receiving juice and “very small amounts of purees for medical purposes upon recommendation of doctors but that this could not be regarded as breach of the hunger strike.
“Today we received information that these purees were supplied to the inmate by the medical personnel. As the inmate told us, head of the Penitentiary Medical Department met and convinced him to receive these kinds of supplements and that would not be regarded as breach of the hunger strike,” Deputy Public Defender Giorgi Burjanadze told TV Pirveli.
Burjanadze also stressed public statements on inmates on hunger strike should be “delicate in order not to prompt him/her to more severe forms of hunger strikes.”
On November 5, the State Inspector’s Service said it would study the lawfulness of releasing Saakashvili’s footage.
Georgia’s former President Mikheil Saakashvili was arrested on October 1 upon his return from Ukraine. He has been on hunger strike for 38 days. Saakashvili’s doctors and supporters demand his transfer to a civilian clinic while the authorities insist he can only be transferred to the Prison Hospital where the Public Defender says are neither sufficient medical, nor security conditions.
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