Saturday,
Independent Medics Say Georgian Ex-President's Health Compromised By 'Torture'
In Prison
21:14 GMT
• By RFE/RL's Georgian Service
Georgian ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili delivers a speech in the defendant's
dock during a court hearing in Tbilisi on December 2.
TBILISI -- An independent group of doctors has examined jailed former Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili and determined that his health has been seriously
compromised as a result of "torture" and mistreatment he had allegedly
experienced since his arrest in early October.
The doctors reported on December 18 that Saakashvili, 53, had developed several
neurological conditions "as a result of torture, ill-treatment, inadequate
medical care, and a prolonged hunger strike."
One member of the group, psychiatrist Mariam Jishkariani, told the AFP news
agency that the health problems were the result of "Saakashvili's psychological
torture in prison, which could lead to his incapacitation if he is not given
proper medical care."
She added that he had been wrongly given unspecified "antipsychotic drugs,"
which amounted to "pharmacological torture."
The examination by a group of seven physicians was organized by the
nongovernmental Empathy Center.
Saakashvili himself has said he was subjected to death threats, sleep
deprivation, and physical abuse while in custody.
Last week, the Georgian State Inspectorate announced it had opened an
investigation into Saakashvili's allegations.
The NGO Amnesty International has said Saakashvili’s treatment was "not just
selective justice, but apparent political revenge," while the U.S. State
Department has called on the Georgian government to "treat Saakashvili fairly
and with dignity."
Saakashvili served as Georgia's president from 2004 to 2013. He was arrested
shortly after returning to Georgia from self-imposed exile in Ukraine.
He conducted a 50-day hunger strike to protest his convictions on charges of
abuse of office, which he says were politically motivated.
His arrest, coming amid a political crisis stemming from disputed parliamentary
elections in 2020, spurred the largest anti-government protests in Georgia in a
decade.
With reporting by AFP
• RFE/RL's Georgian Service
RFE/RL's Georgian Service is a trusted source of politically and financially
independent journalism in a country where much of the media is aligned with the
government or the opposition.
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