Freedom to Mikheil Saakashvili

Political Persecution of Mr. Saakashvili

 

The rapid deterioration of health of the former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili has resulted in severe sarcopenia, and severe stage 4 cachexia, a complex syndrome associated with an underlying illness, causing ongoing muscle loss. A group of authoritative medical doctors convened by the Public Defender of Georgia assessed on 2 April 2023 that Mr. Saakashvili’s condition has further deteriorated and warned about possible grave complications. According to the doctors, Mr. Saakashvili has lost half of his weight while in prison, and if he continues to lose weight, “irreversible changes in the body will begin.” The Georgian authorities have refused to allow for his transfer abroad despite recommendations of the Public Defender of Georgia and medics triggering fears of a tragic outcome.

 

World leaders including President Zelenskyy of Ukraine and President Macron of France have called on the Georgian authorities to release Mr. Saakashvili. Prime Minister of Poland Morawiecki issued a proposal for Mr. Saakashvili to be treated in Poland. US Department of State urged the government of Georgia to “heed the Public Defender’s recommendations about appropriate treatment”.

 

Upon his return to Georgia after eight years in exile, Mr. Saakashvili was arrested on 1 October 2021. His treatment in various prison facilities has been sharply criticized by local and international human rights groups. Amnesty International assessed that Mr. Saakashvili’s treatment by authorities was “not just selective justice but apparent political revenge”. Reacting to the circumstances of Mr. Saakashvili’s forceful transfer to yet another prison facility Human Rights Watch stated that it could be interpreted as "a forced treatment” and noted that Mr. Saakashvili was “violently transferred to the prison hospital, allegedly threatened; denied dignity, privacy, and adequate healthcare”. Mr. Saakashvili’s multiple hunger strikes have led to grave complications affecting his physical as well as mental condition.

 

Mr. Saakashvili has been convicted in absentia for two alleged crimes. The charges against him are widely viewed as politically motivated, and the legal cases against him are regarded as a political retribution. In 2020, after the exhaustion of domestic remedies, both cases were referred to the European Court of Human Rights, alleging violations of the right of Mr. Saakashvili to a fair trial, “no punishment without law”, and limitation on use of restrictions on rights.