The Authorities Must Fully Yield to the Recommendations Issued by the Multidisciplinary Team of Doctors and the Public Defender of Georgia, Regarding the Hospitalization of M. Saakashvili

We, the signatory organizations, would like to respond to the controversy regarding the hospitalization of the Third President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili. We believe that the decision to hospitalize Mr. Saakashvili should not be based on political considerations, but solely on the principles and high standards of personal safety, health, and life of an individual.

Mikheil Saakashvili has been on a hunger strike since the day of his detainment, which was 26 days ago. Considering the length of his hunger strike, his health might suddenly deteriorate, and he may require urgent hospitalization. According to the findings of the Concilium of qualified doctors assembled by the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Saakashvili should only be transferred to a medical establishment, outfitted with relevant personnel, and medical equipment. According to the findings of the Public Defender of Georgia, Penitentiary Establishment No. 18 (the so-called “prison hospital”), does not meet the recommendations set forth by the Concilium of a multidisciplinary team of doctors. Placing Mr. Saakashvili next to the Establishment No.8 (which sits next to the building of the “prison hospital.” These buildings share the same space) is a security risk for Mr. Saakashvili.

Based on the above-described conditions, we call upon the authorities to yield to the recommendations issued by the multidisciplinary team of doctors, and the Public Defender of Georgia regarding the hospitalization of Mikheil Saakashvili. They should adopt the decision to hospitalize him in a manner that ensures that the threats to his life, health, and security risks are eliminated.

1. Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI)
2. Governance Monitoring Center (GMC)
3. Open Society Foundation, OSGF
4. Institute for Democracy and Safe Development (IDSD)
5. Human Rights Center (HRC)
6. International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED)
7. Transparency International — Georgia (TI)
8. Partnership for Human Rights (PHR)
9. Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC)
10. Media Development Foundation (MDF)
11. Research Journalism & Economic Analysis Center
12. Banks and Society
13. Safari
14. Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI)
15. Center “Empathy”
16. Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA)
17. Social Justice Center (SJC)
18. The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI)
19. United Nations Association Georgia (UNAG)
20. GEORGIA`S REFORMS ASSOCIATES (GRASS)
21. Rights Georgia
22. Atlantic Council of Georgia