LONDON - Amnesty Insternational speaks about the refusal by the Georgian authorities of providing adequate medical care to the former President Mikheil Saakashvili, risking to cause irreversible damage to his health or even death.

 Mikheil Saakashvili served as President of Georgia from 2004 to 2013, he is now serving a six year long sentence on two cases of abuse of power in relation to the beating of Valery Gelashvili, an opposition politician, that ws performed by police special forces in 2005. The former President was tried and convicted in 2018 in absentia, which violates international treaty norms. He was arrested following his return to Georgia on Oct. 1, 2021. Many of his supporters believe the charges are politically motivated. Saakashvili’s health condition rapidly deteriorated while in custody, he lost over 50 kilograms and developed a series of serious psychological, neurological, orthopedic and gastrointestinal conditions that are posing as an obstacle to his life.

 Two independent medical teams have concluded that the ex-president’s has developed a series of possibly life-threatening conditions while in custody in the past 16 months. The treatment required is reportedly not available in Georgia. According to the experts, the state of Saakashvili deteriorated since the last visit that occurred on Dec. 19, 2022 – irreversible organ damage might occur very soon, they say.

 Under the Georgian law, seriously ill prisoners can be released, but courts often deny such requests, as happened on Feb. 6 in the court in Tbilisi that declied Saakashvili’s motion to either defer or suspend his sentence for medical reasons.

 Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch, Hugh Williamson, says: ‘A prison sentence should not mean a death sentence, where treatable conditions tragically become fatal […] The Georgian authorities need to humanize this aspect of the country’s criminal justice system and bring it in line with international standards. They should start by providing remedies that guarantee prompt medical care, and where necessary, that envisage release from custody of anyone who, because of their state of health, is considered incapable of remaining in detention.’

 According to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, authorities are still to respond to the concerns pointed out by the organization in a letter sent to the Georgian Ministry of Justice on Feb. 10, 2023.

 Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Officer at Amnesty International, Denis Krivosheev, said: ‘The denial of adequate medical care to Mikheil Saakashvili may amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, and is putting his life at grave risk […] Deaths in custody resulting from the deliberate denial of health care amount to arbitrary deprivation of life, which is a serious violation under international human rights law. The Georgian authorities should urgently take measures to protect Saakashvili’s health, including considering his release on medical grounds.’

 The Georgian authorities claim that Saakashvili’s health has worsened due to his choices, saying he chose to ‘self-harm’ by going on multiple hunger strikes. According to them, he is receiving adequate medical care in a private clinic in Tbilisi. 

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