TBILISI. Feb 20 (Interfax) - The Georgian administration is doing everything possible for former President Mikheil Saakashvili to recover, but he is deliberately doing harm to his health to be freed from prison, Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze said.
"Saakashvili is under permanent medical supervision at a private clinic, but the problem is that he is deliberately doing harm to his health by refusing to receive proper nutrition. Saakashvili is doing all he can to walk free as soon as possible," Bregadze said on the Imedi television channel.
Saakashvili's mother, Giuli Alasania, told journalists that her son's health has been deteriorating day by day and that any movement causes him severe physical pain. "He has lost one more kilo in the past few days alone. Doctors of the Vivamedi clinic cannot provide him with the necessary aid," Alasania said.
Lawyer Shalva Khachapuridze told journalists that Saakashvili's defense team would go to an appeals court soon to contest a first-instance court ruling that denied the deferral of Saakashvili's imprisonment to receive treatment abroad.
Saakashvili's supporters are currently gathering for a demonstration in front of the State Chancellery building in Tbilisi to demand that he be released from prison and allowed to travel abroad to receive proper treatment. Members of Georgian diasporas are planning similar rallies in 17 cities around the world on Monday.
Saakashvili secretly arrived in Georgia on September 29, 2021, and was detained in Tbilisi on October 1. Shortly after that, he found himself in a prison in the city of Rustavi, where he went on a hunger strike. On November 8, 2021, without the consent of his relatives or lawyers, Saakashvili was transferred from the Rustavi prison to the prison infirmary in Tbilisi's Gldani neighborhood. On November 20, 2021, Saakashvili was transferred to a military hospital in Gori. He was then transferred to the Vivamedi civilian clinic in Tbilisi on May 12, where he is currently staying.
Several criminal cases were opened against Saakashvili in Georgia. He called his detention unlawful and the charges brought against him falsified.