The government of Georgia must protect the rights of Mikheil Saakashvili, the spokesperson of the US State Department, Vedant Patel, said on Wednesday. 

"We are carefully following the statements of the Public Defender. The Georgian authorities must protect Mikheil Saakashvili's rights and be sure that he receives appropriate medical care.

“I do not think we're sending the wrong signals. We are very clear that his rights must be protected and he must receive appropriate medical care," said Patel.

Saakashvili, the third president of Georgia, was arrested in Tbilisi in 2021 after eight years in self-imposed political exile and is now serving his six-year-sentence for abuse of power while in office. 

The Georgian city and appeals courts have rejected his transportation abroad on medical grounds earlier this year.