Press conference in Strasbourg on Saakashvili, JAMnews
Press conference in Strasbourg on Saakashvili
The son of the ex-president of Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili, addressed the Georgian authorities during a press conference held in Strasbourg and devoted to the health of Saakashvili. “We must not let my father die in prison,” said Eduard Saakashvili.
Saakashvili’s mother Giuli Alasania, his wife Sandra Rulofs, his son Eduard Saakashvili, MEPs Anna Fotyga and Miriam Lexmann and Saakashvili’s lawyer Massimo D’angelo took part in the press conference. In their speech, they again called on the ruling Georgian Dream party to release Saakashvili from prison.
“We have to go through this difficult time in our family’s history. But there is a simple solution, there is a real opportunity for the Georgian government to make the right choice and allow Saakashvili to be treated abroad. I think we now have a real chance, with the support of our European friends, to change this situation. It depends on all of us – on the family, on the people who agree that it is necessary to save my father’s life and preserve his health,” said Eduard Saakashvili.
“President Mikheil Saakashvili’s health is very important, because we are talking about a man who made incredible changes in Georgia, tried to transfer the country to Western orbit,” said Saakashvili’s US attorney, Massimo D’angelo. According to him, Saakashvili is a political prisoner and “needs urgent treatment”:
“I saw him with my own eyes at the beginning of October. A team of doctors confirms that Saakashvili is in serious condition. Not only was he tortured and poisoned, but he was also given medication which worsened his health. He has needs treatment to save his life. We call on Georgian Dream and Bidzina Ivanishvili and demand Saakashvili’s immediate release. We hope our voices will be heard and Mikheil Saakashvili’s life will be saved.
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Saakashvili’s release on health grounds is based on law, said MEP Miriam Lexmann of the European People’s Party (EPP) (Christian Democrats). The recommendations that Georgia must meet in order to achieve candidate status include, among others, two points: a fair judicial system and the fight against the polarization of society.
“There is a legal basis set out in Article 283, and we have evidence that Saakashvili’s health falls under that article. We believe that the Georgian judiciary and judges should consider this matter in accordance with the law and release Saakashvili,” Lexmann said.
According to her, if Saakashvili dies in prison, it will be difficult to talk about the independence of Georgian justice.
In this regard, Lexmann mentioned another high-profile case – the imprisonment of the founder of the main Georgian opposition TV channel Mtavari Arkhi, Nika Gvaramia:
“In the case of Nika Gvaramia, according to the statement of the Ombudsman of Georgia, there are political motives. Even if only these two cases are not brought into line with Georgian law, this will be a reason for the EU to say no.
MEP Anna Fotyga appealed to Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili and the Georgian Dream party calling for Saakashvili to be released from prison.
The third president should be released on humanitarian grounds, as his health condition is serious, Fotyga told a press conference in Strasbourg:
“I asked twice to visit Mikheil Saakashvili while he was in prison, and I was refused, although in the case of other prisoners, I received permission… is very important for the deputies, for the leaders of the European Union, so that they have the opportunity to visit Mikheil Saakashvili,” said Fotyga.
On December 6, a council established by the Georgia Public Defender prepared a report about Saakashvili’s health. Four doctors visited the ex-president on December 5.
According to cardiologist Giorgi Kacharava, Saakashvili should change the place of treatment. Neurologist Tengiz Tsuladze said Saakashvili’s condition had “significantly” deteriorated compared to April.
Still according to the doctors, he suffers from cachexia [extreme malnutrition] of the fourth degree, which means that he may only have a few months left to live.
On December 2, an American toxicological review signed by Professor David Smith was published. He says the presence of heavy metals and other substances including mercury and arsenic were found in Mikhail Saakashvili’s body. The specialist associates Saakashvili’s symptoms with the ingestion of these substances.
On December 1, the Center for Empathy published a medical report on the state of health of Mikheil Saakashvili, according to which the ex-president suffers from more than twenty disorders, ten of which are incompatible with imprisonment.
Empathy did not reveal these disorders In conclusion, but emphasize that the condition is serious. His diagnoses, individually or collectively, can lead to irreversible deterioration of his health, reduced life expectancy and even death if he does not have the opportunity to receive an adequate diagnosis and treatment.
Press conference in Strasbourg on Saakashvili