Freedom to Mikheil Saakashvili

Political Persecution of Mr. Saakashvili

World leaders and public figures, including President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, President Macron of France, President Sandu of Moldova, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Sikorski, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Landsbergis, Foreign Minister of Estonia Reinsalu, former Prime Minister of Poland Morawiecki, former Prime Minister of Belgium Guy Verhofstadt, former Soviet dissident Nathan Sharansky, American historian and journalist Anne Applebaum, French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, late Russian pro-democracy leader Alexei Navalny, American human rights activist Kerry Kennedy, jailed Russian democracy activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, former chess world champion Garry Kasparov, and former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, among others have called on the Georgian authorities to free Mr. Saakashvili.

The European Parliament approved by overwhelming vote a resolution calling for Mr. Saakashvili’s release. It warned that his case was a litmus test for the Georgian government’s commitment to European values. 27 EU member states diplomatically demarched to the Georgian government regarding Mr. Saakashvili’s deteriorating health. Prime Minister of Poland issued a proposal in 2023 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”. Ukraine expelled the Georgian ambassador and called on the Georgian authorities to put "an end to these abuses and [allow] Saakashvili's return to Ukraine”.

Major political groupings in the European Parliament - the European People’s Party (EPP) and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) called on the Georgian authorities to release Mr. Saakashvili. In its resolution adopted on November 14, 2023 the EPP stated that “The former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili has been in prison on politically motivated charges, he is deprived of proper medical care and his health condition has been alarmingly deteriorating”, and called upon the authorities of Georgia “to immediately release him.” ALDE’s resolution of October 21, 2023 urged the Georgian authorities “to manage the humanitarian transfer of Georgia’s ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, whose health condition has not improved”.

”While Mr. Saakashvili’s condition has improved somatically, the neurological remains the same”, commented the Group of doctors convened by the Public Defender of Georgia after its latest visit on January 25, 2024. On October 18, 2023 the Group recorded a slight improvement in his condition, however they also noted that “muscle atrophy and neuropathy still persist”. According to the Group’s assessment of August 2023 “health of Mr. Saakashvili, shows slow dynamics towards the deterioration.” The Group concludes that “overall, a gradual, slow dynamic of deterioration is maintained”.

The report by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) says the situation in which Mr. Saakashvili is being held “is oppressive, degrading and not conducive to improving his health condition.” The CPT visit took place in March 2023 but was only published in January 2024. The report noted that “as things stand at present, despite the overall acceptable living conditions and the availability of a range of medical specialists and treatments, the three secure wards of Viva Medi clinic fail to offer a proper therapeutic environment, due to the final word on all essential matters belonging to custodial (and not healthcare) staff and to the total lack of respect to patients’ privacy and medical confidentiality.”

Mr. Saakashvili’s health deteriorated while in prison facilities since 2021 and had resulted in “severe sarcopenia, and severe stage 4 cachexia”, a complex syndrome associated with an underlying illness, causing ongoing muscle loss. Mr. Saakashvili’s condition had been exacerbated by his repeated hunger strikes in protest against his incarceration. Georgian authorities have refused to allow for his transfer abroad despite recommendations of the Public Defender and medics.

Upon his return to Georgia after eight years in exile, Mr. Saakashvili was arrested on October 1, 2021. His mistreatment in various prison facilities has been criticized by local and international human rights groups. Mr. Saakashvili has reportedly been tortured in custody. While the authorities deny the accusation on one instance they released a video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTWpZXPMRJ4 showing prison guards dragging Mr. Saakashvili by his limbs. 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 has been convicted in absentia for alleged abuse of power. Additionally, he is under trial for separate charges. The charges against him are widely viewed as a “political revenge”. In 2020, after the exhaustion of domestic remedies, the cases were referred to the European Court of Human Rights for “violations of the right to a fair trial, “no punishment without law”, and “limitation on use of restrictions on rights” under Article 18 of the European Convention on Human Rights.