Saakashvili's Health Condition Dire, Needs Treatment Abroad - Health Official

The neurological and physical condition of imprisoned former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is so serious that he is close to disability or death and requires treatment abroad, a member of the medical council formed by the Ombudsman of Georgia Otar Toidze said on Tuesday

TBILISI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th April, 2022) The neurological and physical condition of imprisoned former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is so serious that he is close to disability or death and requires treatment abroad, a member of the medical council formed by the Ombudsman of Georgia Otar Toidze said on Tuesday.

"Time is short, his condition is so severe that he needs immediate treatment in some foreign clinic ... We said that the process will gradually lead the patient to disability for the time being, and then possibly to death. Now, we have approached this point. I do not know if it is possible to return his condition back, based on the neurological processes that he is currently experiencing," Toidze told reporters after visiting the politician after a long pause.

Last week, the penal system of the Georgian Justice Ministry refuted the information disseminated by the opposition about a sharp deterioration in Saakashvili's health. The politician is under round-the-clock intensive medical supervision and is provided with all medical services.

At the same time, Saakashvili, during a court hearing in his case, said that he felt weak, could not eat and had lost 12 kilograms (26 Pounds), in the last few days.

Five minutes after the start of the court session, Saakashvili interrupted his speech and asked for a doctor's help.

On April 1, the Georgian Deputy Justice Minister Beka Dzamashvili said that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has refused to review a complaint by Saakashvili regarding alleged mistreatment in a Georgian prison due to "lack of special circumstances concerning human rights protection."

The former president was put in jail on October 1 last year, shortly after returning to Georgia, where he was wanted on several charges, including abuse of power, stealing public money, and ordering a crackdown on a peaceful rally. He is serving a six-year sentence. Saakashvili's doctors and supporters say his health has deteriorated dramatically since he held two separate hunger strikes during his detention.

Saakashvili was the president of Georgia for two consecutive terms from 2004 to 2013 and was barred from seeking a third term under the Georgian constitution. Shortly after the end of his term, Saakashvili left the country. He actively supported Ukraine's Euromaidan in 2014 and 2015 and was appointed the governor of the Ukraine's region of Odesa after receiving Ukrainian citizenship.