Kobakhidze Says ‘Fake’ Conclusion of the Medical Panel May Cause Legal Issues to Ombudsman
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Friday, November 19
Recently, a group of specialists invited by the Public Defender of Georgia published a report on the results, monitoring the medical conditions of the former President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili.
The document assesses Mikheil Saakashvili's condition as critical and states that it is immediately recommended to continue his treatment in a fully functioning hospital, in the intensive care unit.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the chairman of the Georgian Dream, called the conclusion of the council created by the Public Defender fake and said that it was false information. He also added that if the case continues, the issue of the responsibility of the Public Defender may be raised. He talked about it with reporters in the parliament.
The Public Defender of Georgia responded to the statements made by Irakli Kobakhidze, saying that such rhetoric goes beyond the legal framework and represents an attempt to attack and intimidate an independent constitutional body and its experts.
The statement of the Public Defender also reads that such comments contract with national and international human rights obligations.
“We call on the United Nations, Council of Europe, OSCE/ODIHR, diplomatic missions accredited in Georgia, and ombuds associations to study the above issue and assess it within their mandates. Contrary to the Paris and Venice Principles, the Public Defender of Georgia encounters obstacles in the implementation of her mandate, while experts may refuse to cooperate with the Public Defender in the future,” reads the statement of the Georgian Public Defender.
According to Mamuka Mdinaradze, chairman of the Georgian Dream, the council could not answer the main question that could have been the purpose of gathering these doctors, i.e., whether there was any necessary medical care that Mikheil Saakashvili, who is being held in the 18th penitentiary, could not receive.
In addition, he accused the Public Defender of concealing important information while talking to journalists, and also spoke about the alleged political bias of doctors.
According to the Public Defender of Georgia, Nino Lomjaria, the main recommendation of the experts was that due to the critical situation of the ex-president's health, it is necessary to transfer him to a functionally sound and experienced hospital.
Saakashvili returned to Georgia from Ukraine in late September and was detained in Tbilisi on October 1. He spent over a month in Rustavi's 12th penitentiary and on November 8, he was transferred to Gldani prison.
