UNM Urges International Community, Diplomatic Corps, NGOs to Ensure Saakashvil’s Safety

By Khatia Bzhalava

Wednesday, October 27

Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze announced on Monday that the N18 prison infirmary is ready to admit former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

“The infrastructure and environment [of Facility No. 18] fail to exclude the risk of verbal aggression and noise, verbal abuse and psychological pressure by certain groups of prisoners,” reads the Public Defender’s report.

The United National Movement has appealed to the international community, the diplomatic corps accredited in Georgia, international and local non-governmental organizations to take all possible measures to ensure the right to life and personal safety of the third president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili. The statement reads that it has been 26 days since the ex-president went on a hunger strike and his health conditions are severe.

According to the UNM, the commission of highly qualified doctors concluded at a meeting on October 23, that Saakashvili should be transferred to a high-class, multi-profile civil clinic, and not to a prison hospital as the Georgian Dream government officials had offered. As the UNM says ‘the president will be deprived of adequate treatment and his safety will be in danger if he is placed in the prison hospital.

The Minister of Health Minister, Ekaterine Tikaradze announced yesterday that the prison hospital meets all the necessary conditions for Saakashvili, adding that he does not require placement at a civil clinic at this stage.

“I assure you that he will not face any vital risks. The patient is under constant monitoring. Therefore, all risks are minimized,” Tikaradze noted.

On October 24, Public Defender’s representatives checked the readiness of the Medical Facility of N18 prison and as the inspection revealed the situation in the facility, in terms of medical care, does not fully comply with the recommendations issued by a multifunctional group of doctors.

According to the Public Defender’s Office, even though the administration and medical staff of Medical Facility No. 18 state the clinic has the necessary resources to meet the medical needs of prisoners, the report issued by the group of doctors refers to the need of implementing certain medical procedures, which, is impossible to be provided in this Facility.

The UNM has called on the Georgian people to not allow Saakashvili’s transfer to the Gldani Prison Hospital as it would be ‘equal to his murder’. The party urges the Georgian government to ensure the health and personal safety of the third president of Georgia. “Otherwise, you will get a harsh response from the Georgian society,” reads the statement published by the UNM.