Court in Georgia turns down Saakashvili's application for incarceration deferral due to illness

TBILISI. March 2 (Interfax) - The Tbilisi Appeal Court has upheld a lower-tier court order, which turned down an application from former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili for a deferral of his incarceration due to illness, lawyer Shalva Khachapuridze told reporters on Thursday.

"The Appeal Court has made its decision in the absence of Mikheil Saakashvili. What's more, his lawyers were not invited to the hearing," Khachapuridze said.

He said earlier that the defense would file an application with the European Court of Human Rights once they receive a ruling from the appeal court.

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. He was then transferred to the Vivamedi civilian clinic in Tbilisi on May 12, where he is currently staying.

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

te kp kl

Our editorial staff can be reached at eng.editors@interfax.ru)