Ukrainian public advocate calls on int’ll community to react on “violated rights” of Saakashvili

The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Lyudmila Denisova has called on the international community to react on to the “violation of rights” of Georgia’s third President Mikheil Saakashvili, who currently holds Ukrainian citizenship and was arrested in Tbilisi last year after eight years in political exile. 

 

Denisova’s recent post on social media comes on the heels of recent trial hearing of Saakashvili in Tbilisi City Court, where he demanded the doctor’s aid and said that he had lost 12 kg over the past several days. 

 

“I am concerned about the deteriorating health of Mikheil Saakashvili, a citizen of Ukraine and chairman of the Executive Committee of the National Council for Reforms of Ukraine,” Denisova wrotre on Facebook.

 

She claimed that independent doctors have not been allowed to see Saakashvili since December 2021.

 

“This indicates the lack of proper treatment which has been established by a consortium of doctors gathered at the request of the Public Defender of Georgia, which is tantamount to torture,” Denisova said.

 

She called on Georgian authorities to provide adequate medical assistance to Saakashvili.

 

The Georgian government says that all necessary services are ensured for the former president in prison who had cited the change of the Georgian Dream authorities as the reason for his return. 

 

Saakashvili was convicted in Georgia in absentia back in 2018 and was sentenced to six years in prison. 

 

Now he is serving the term for abuse of power. 

 

He is also charged with several other cases, including illegally crossing the border from Ukraine to Georgia at the end of September 2021.