Ukrainian Parliament to Request Georgia to Pardon Saakashvili

The Verkhovna Rada has registered draft appeal, No. 9491, which is addressed to the President of Georgia and the parliaments of EU member states, urging them to pardon Mikheil Saakashvili.

On Thursday, July 13, a large group of People's Deputies submitted the relevant draft resolution to parliament.

This document proposes the submission of a request to President Salome Zurabishvili of Georgia to grant Dmytro Lubinets, the Human Rights Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, access to Mikheil Saakashvili, who holds Ukrainian citizenship.

The draft resolution calls on the President of Georgia to pardon Saakashvili, bearing in mind his currently critical physical condition as a humanitarian act. 

Additionally, the document suggests making an appeal to the parliaments of EU member states urging them to adopt appropriate decisions and resolutions to make the same humanitarian request to the President of Georgia emphasizing the importance such an act would uphold the highest international human rights standards.

The explanatory note to the project highlights that it is in response to the extensive domestic and international media coverage of Saakashvili's detention and deteriorating health, along with corresponding diplomatic messages.

Former president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, was arrested by Georgian law enforcement officers in October 2021. He was accused and found guilty of “abuse of power and persecution of political opponents,” resulting in a six-year prison sentence.

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Since then, the politician has embarked on hunger strikes on eight separate occasions, which have led to a significant deterioration in his health. Recently, Saakashvili participated in a court session via online format, where the video revealed the shocking extent of his weight loss.

In response to this Ukraine expelled the Georgian ambassador since when the Tbilisi authorities have been unwilling to engage in further dialogue. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia views Ukraine's decision to expel the Georgian ambassador as “an extreme escalation of diplomatic relations.”

As reported by Kyiv Post, Polish doctors have recently been granted access to examine Saakashvili. Malgozata Gosiewska, the Deputy Marshal of the Polish Sejm, explained that the Georgian government had previously agreed to allow Polish experts to visit the former president, but the process had been delayed for a variety of reasons.

A treatment plan for the ailing former president of Georgia will be prepared based on the findings of the medical commission. Gosiewska emphasized that her country has advocated for Saakashvili to receive future treatment in a Polish clinic