Georgia’s imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili has lost his appeal for release or postponement of the rest of his sentence on health grounds, with Tbilisi City Court on Monday denying the application in the case that has been surrounded by public debate.
Judge Giorgi Arevadze dismissed the request that had been made by Saakashvili’s legal team and supported by his family and a part of the domestic political opposition, who had claimed the former official was in need of urgent treatment abroad.
They had claimed domestic health professionals had been unable to provide Saakashvili with adequate treatment in detention - the former President has been under supervision at a civilian clinic in Tbilisi - while penitentiary authorities and medical professionals tending to him have alleged Saakashvili was engaged in “self-harm” and disobeying doctors.
Due to his health circumstances, Saakashvili did not attend the court in person but appeared in video link in some of the sessions.
