Georgia to move ex-President Saakashvili to military hospital

  19 November 2021    Read: 786
Georgia to move ex-President Saakashvili to military hospital

Georgia's justice ministry has decided to move imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili to a military hospital in the city of Gori, Russia's Tass news agency reported on Friday.

Georgia's human rights commissioner warned Saakashvili may soon face various health complications. A doctor who examined him said that he risked death if not transferred to a regular clinic.

This comes a day after Saakashvili fainted and was placed in an intensive care ward. He had previously launched a hunger strike after being imprisoned upon his return from exile in Ukraine.

How did Saakashviili end up in prison?

Saakashvili was Georgia's president between 2004 and 2013. After leaving Georgia in 2013, Saakashvili became the governor of Odessa under former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. His relationship with Poroshenko later soured and his Ukrainian citizenship was revoked.

Later, Saakashvili became an anti-corruption advisor under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Ahead of last month's local elections in Georgia, the politician secretly returned to his native country and urged his supporters to take to the streets to "protect the vote results." He was quickly detained and now faces up to six years in prison following his 2018 in absentia conviction for abuse of power.


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