A Georgian court on Monday rejected an appeal for the release of former President Mikheil Saakashvili from prison on health grounds.
This was reported by Saakashvili’s lawyers.
Saakashvili, who led Georgia from 2004 to 2013, is serving a six-year sentence for abuse of power. According to his supporters, this accusation is politically motivated.
In a statement released by Saakashvili’s team, the former Georgian president described the court’s decision as a “death sentence” issued against him by his political opponents.
“The Georgia court session turned out to be a complete joke,” Saakashvili said. “Government experts didn’t even bother to see me…Now I’ve actually been sentenced to death.”
Saakashvili’s personal doctors who monitor his health say his condition has deteriorated significantly since he was imprisoned, where he went on numerous hunger strikes.
His lawyers have asked for his sentence to be quashed so that he can be transferred for medical treatment abroad.
Georgian officials who are Saakashvili’s political opponents say the former Georgian president is pretending to be ill in an effort to secure an early release from prison.
