Saakashvili's lawyer asks for his release from custody for health reasons

TBILISI. Dec 1 (Interfax) - Shalva Khachapuridze, lawyer for former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, has filed with a court for his release from custody.

The lawyer said that the health conditions Saakashvili has been diagnosed with fall under the health minister's order that compels the government to release such inmates.

"As an alternative, we demand that the court consider a possible deferment of Saakashvili's penalty," Khachapuridze told reporters on Thursday.

He said that the application contained an enclosed report by the Empatia independent medical center.

Saakashvili secretly arrived in Georgia on September 29, 2021, and was detained in Tbilisi on October 1. Shortly after that, he found himself in a prison in the city of Rustavi, where he went on a hunger strike. On November 8, 2021, without the consent of his relatives or lawyers, Saakashvili was transferred from the Rustavi prison to the prison infirmary in Tbilisi's Gldani neighborhood. On November 20, 2021, Saakashvili was transferred to a military hospital in Gori, where he ended his hunger strike. He was then transferred to the Vivamed civilian clinic in Tbilisi on May 12, where he currently is staying.

Several criminal cases were opened against Saakashvili in Georgia. He called his detention unlawful and the charges brought against him falsified.