President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that the life of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who has Ukrainian citizenship, now depends on Georgia's ethical decision.

Source: Zelenskyy’s video address on 14 April

Quote: "Mikheil Saakashvili's life now depends not on a political, not on some personal, but purely on an ethical decision... Which has a clean and solid legal basis. 

If a person needs medical help, if life depends on it, then this step is necessary. I know that Mikheil's lawyers have now submitted an urgent appeal to the ECtHR to provide him with proper treatment. And it seems that this is the only way to save his life."

Previously: Saakashvili was detained in Tbilisi in October 2021 shortly after his return to Georgia, where he was accused of several criminal cases. In two of them, he was sentenced to six years in prison in absentia before his return.

He calls himself "Putin's prisoner" and considers all the charges to be politically motivated.

During his imprisonment, Saakashvili went on a hunger strike twice and changed several medical institutions. In May 2022, he was transferred from Rustavi prison to the Vivamedi multidisciplinary clinic on the outskirts of Tbilisi.

Saakashvili's family and supporters have long been raising the alarm about his condition, believing that the only way to save his life is to seek medical treatment abroad. Authorities say he is intentionally harming his health to secure his release from prison. The authorities have also accused Saakashvili’s supporters of speculation and politicising the issue.

On 1 December 2022, Saakashvili's lawyers filed a petition with the court to postpone or exempt him from his criminal sentence due to his serious diagnoses, but after two months of hearings, the judge refused to grant the defence's request, leaving the former president in custody in a Tbilisi clinic.

Background:

• On 6 February 2023, the Tbilisi City Court did not grant the request of the lawyers of the imprisoned former Georgian president and Ukrainian citizen Saakashvili for early release on health grounds.
• Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said it was disappointed with the court's decision to reject Saakashvili's defence's request for a postponement or exemption from punishment due to his serious health condition.

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