The doctor said on Wednesday (November 17) that Georgia’s imprisoned opposition leader and former President Mikheil Saakashvili had been on a hunger strike for several weeks in a critical condition and lacked proper medical care. .
Saakashvili served as president from 2004 to 2013. Soon after returning from exile in Ukraine on October 1, he refused food for 48 consecutive days in protest of his imprisonment.
The Georgian government refused to transfer him from the prison hospital to the civilian clinic, violating the advice of the doctor who warned Saakashvili’s life is dangerous.
On Wednesday, a medical committee established by the inspector Nino Lomjaria (Nino Lomjaria), after inspecting Saakashvili, stated that his “current condition is assessed as critical” and that he was “In the future” faces the risk of fatal complications.
They added that the prison hospital where Saakashvili was treated could not meet his medical needs and called on him to be immediately transferred to a more well-equipped civilian clinic for intensive care.
Last week, Saakashvili was transferred to a prison hospital, where Amnesty International stated that he “lost his dignity” and did not receive adequate care.
Human rights groups on Twitter described it as “selective justice” and “obvious political retaliation.”
The 53-year-old pro-Western reformer said he was beaten by guards in prison and worried about his life.
‘Fair treatment’
The US State Department urged the Georgian government to “treat Mr. Saakashvili with fairness and dignity.”
The United States and the European Court of Human Rights reiterated this call, and several opposition lawmakers also went on a hunger strike for several days, demanding that Saakashvili be provided with appropriate medical services.
The European Court of Human Rights said last week that Georgia must take measures to “inform the court of the applicant’s current health, ensure his safety in prison, and provide him with appropriate medical services during the recovery period after the hunger strike”. It also urged Saakashvili to “cancel the hunger strike.”
On Tuesday, Minister of Justice Rati Bregadze ruled out the possibility of transferring Saakashvili to a civilian clinic, insisting that “there is no instance where Saakashvili did not receive the medical services he needs”.
Saakashvili said last week that he has decided to end the hunger strike if he is transferred to a civilian “high-tech clinic for rehabilitation after a hunger strike.”
Saakashvili’s arrest has exacerbated the political crisis triggered by last year’s parliamentary polls. The opposition condemned fraud in parliamentary elections.
It also triggered some of the largest anti-government protests in a decade.
Iraqi Prime Minister Garibashvili recently caused an uproar, saying that Saakashvili “has the right to commit suicide” and the government was forced to arrest him because he refused to withdraw from politics.
