Georgia’s ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, who is serving a 12.5-year prison sentence, was transferred from a private clinic back to prison on Wednesday. TASR informs about it with reference to the AFP agency.
Saakashvili, who was head of state from 2004-13, has been in the Vivamedi private clinic in Tbilisi since May 2022, where he was transferred after a 51-day hunger strike. Georgia’s prison service said in a statement that Saakashvili’s health is “satisfactory” and no longer requires hospitalization. She added that the decision to return him to prison was made in accordance with the recommendations of doctors.
Saakashvili was detained in Georgia in October 2021 shortly after returning from exile in Ukraine, where he was granted citizenship and in 2015 and 2016 served as governor of Odesa region. He was convicted of abuse of power in several cases, and he considers the verdicts to be politically motivated. The European Parliament has repeatedly called for Saakashvili’s release. The human rights organization Amnesty International considers his treatment to be “obvious political revenge”.
Last week, the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office opened criminal proceedings against eight leading opposition figures, including Saakashviliwhom she accused of inciting regime change in the country and aiding foreign powers.
Georgia has been mired in a political crisis since last year’s parliamentary elections, which the opposition says were rigged in favor of the ruling Georgian Dream party. Since then, the government has intensified repression against its opponents, and several opposition politicians, activists and journalists have been jailed.
