Saakashvili’s doctor: medical council recommends his transfer to a civil clinic

Doctor of former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, Nikoloz Kipshidze, claims that a medical council which gathered today to assess Saakashvili’s health on the 39th day on hunger strike, has recommended his ‘immediate transportation’ to a private clinic.

Kipshidze says that Saakashvili’s health condition has deteriorated much and it’s even hard for him to speak. 

The Georgian Justice Ministry released a video on the weekend which depicts Saakashvili eating while on hunger strike. 

Following the video, Saakashvili said he would suspend taking the food supplements recommended by the medical council to maintain his strength.  

Saakashvili’s Unite National Movement is holding rallies across the country, demanding the release of the former president.Saakashvili was arrested in Tbilisi on October 1, after eight years in political exile. 

He says he has returned to remove the Georgian Dream from power. 

Georgian Dream officials say that Saakashvili plans to cause unrest if he is transferred to a private clinic and offered to receive treatment in a prison hospital, which Saakashvili declined. 

The former president was convicted in Georgia in absentia back in 2018 for abuse of power and was sentenced to six years in prison.