Tbilisi, Georgia:Georgian authorities have labeled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s claims about the torture of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in Georgia as “offensive.” Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze, acknowledging the ongoing war in Ukraine, stated that Georgian leaders are “restrained as much as possible” and typically avoid responding to “unfair assessments by some Ukrainian politicians.” However, Bregadze emphasized that accusations of state-sponsored torture require at least some supporting evidence.
“The assertion that someone is being tortured in Georgia is both unfair and insulting. According to European and Western standards, such serious allegations, particularly from a high-ranking political figure, must be backed by evidence. Zelenskyy’s statement lacks any factual basis and is therefore unacceptable,” Bregadze remarked on February 1st. He previously mentioned that Saakashvili had voluntarily chosen a low-calorie diet and self-harmed to secure an early release from prison.
On February 1st, following Saakashvili’s remote participation in a court hearing (from the hospital where he is being treated) regarding his early release, several international politicians, public figures, and journalists urged the Georgian authorities to ensure proper treatment for the former president. Concurrently, during a press conference in Kiev with Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen, Zelenskyy displayed photos of Saakashvili, whose health has significantly worsened in recent months.
Zelenskyy expressed his concerns: “The public torture of a Ukrainian citizen. I am not delving into why the former President of Georgia was arrested or its implications for Georgian politics and democracy. That’s their internal affair. My focus is on the abduction and public mistreatment of Ukrainian citizen Mikheil Saakashvili, which I believe is intended to lead to his death.”
It’s important to note that Saakashvili lost his Georgian citizenship upon acquiring a Ukrainian passport in 2015 and currently holds only Ukrainian citizenship. Saakashvili maintains that all charges against him are politically motivated, branding himself a “prisoner of Putin.”
During his year in prison, Saakashvili undertook two hunger strikes. Medical reports indicate that since his arrest, the former Georgian president has lost 48 kilograms (weighing 68 kg at a height of 195 cm) and has been diagnosed with approximately twenty different conditions, including neuropsychiatric, gastroenterological, musculoskeletal, and vision disorders. He also suffers from fever of unknown origin, anorexia, and muscle, joint, bone pain, and atrophy. A toxicological examination of Saakashvili’s hair revealed elevated levels of mercury and other heavy metals, including barium and thallium.
Following the publication of a medical report on Saakashvili’s health, his lawyer requested the court for his release and/or suspension of his sentence.
