Ex-Pres. Saakashvili’s family to hold a protest rally in Batumi today

The family of Georgia’s imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili has plans to hold a rally in Georgia’s coastal city of Batumi today, demanding the transportation of the former president abroad for treatment, Saakashvili’s brother, Giorgi Saakashvili, said during a rally at the administration building of the Government of Georgia on Thursday.

Giorgi Saakashvili claimed that rallies would take place in the Imereti and Samegrelo regions and then again in the country’s capital. 

Saakashvili’s family has been protesting for several days on, demanding that the ex-president be taken abroad for medical treatment “as he will not receive proper medical care in the country.”

Protesters also demand that current President  Salome Zourabichvili  pardon Saakashvili and use all the levers that the country’s president has for this. 

According to the conclusion of the group of medical experts under the Public Defender’s office, Saakashvili has anorexia and protein deficiency as a result of post-traumatic stress disorder, and “at this stage timely complex neuro-psychological and physical rehabilitation is recommended.” 

Zourabichvili has no plans to pardon Saakashvili, while the Georgian Dream authorities say that the former president is provided with all needed services and the latter just has depression. 

Saakashvili was arrested in Tbilisi in October 2021 after eight years in political exile. 

Currently he is serving his term for abuse of power and also faces several other charges.