Justice Ministry: Saakashvili attacked prison staff, damaged medical equipment

The Georgian Justice Ministry says that former president Mikheil Saakashvili attacked the staff of Gldani prison No.18 during his transfer to the prison hospital late yesterday, and he also damaged medical equipment there. 

The ministry also dismissed allegations that the former president was transferred to the prison hospital from Rustavi No.12 prison against his will and released a video which shows Saakashvili packing his belongings and following the prison staff. 

Georgian Justice Minister Rati Gregadze says that the risk of Saakashvili’s health condition’s deterioration increased due to his refusal on the weekend to receive hunger-related treatment and that is why he was transferred to the prison hospital. 

 

Saakashvili refused to receive food supplements after the ministry released a video, showing Saakashvili eating while on hunger strike. 

The former president says that he was attacked by Gldani prison staff and he pushed some medical equipment as somebody was trying to forcibly inject him. 

Saakashvili, who is a citizen of Ukraine and currently chairs the Executive Committee of the Ukrainian National Reforms Council, was convicted in Georgia back in 2018 for abuse of power and was sentenced to six years in prison. 

He has also been charged with illegal takeover of property, illegal rally dispersal, embezzlement and illegally crossing the border. 

Saakashvili says that he is a political prisoner and was demanding his transportation to a civil clinic. 

However, the government said that Saakashvikli and his United National Movement party had plans to cause unrest if he was transferred to a civil clinic. 

The former president says that he returned after eight years in political exile to remove the Georgian Dream from power. 

He has been on hunger strike since his arrest in Tbilisi on October 1.