Saakashvili Transferred to Civilian Clinic

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, serving his sentence in Rustavi prison, has been transferred today to medical center Vivamedi, a civilian clinic in Tbilisi, according to media reports.

The authorities offered on May 10 Saakashvili the transfer to the civilian clinic for examination to prevent any “possible complications,” as concerns mounted about his deteriorating health. Saakashvili accepted the offer, provided some of his conditions would be met.

It was not immediately clear whether authorities have met Saakashvili’s conditions. But the Justice Ministry yesterday slammed Saakashvili over “ultimatums,” and called for accepting the examination in the civilian clinic without conditions.

The group of doctors convened by the Public Defender said in the end of April that Mikheil Saakashvili’s health “further deteriorated” since their previous visit to the Rustavi Prison in January. They described patient’s condition as protein starvation, noting he was losing weight at the expense of muscle mass.

In November, during Saakashvili’s weeks-long hunger strike, the Georgian Dream authorities denied Saakashvili a transfer to civilian hospital, citing, among others, fears that supporters will “liberate” ex-President from a less protected civilian hospital. The ex-President then was transferred to Gori Military Hospital for post-hunger strike treatment.

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