Saakashvili’s Lawyers Appeal to Postpone His Sentence

On December 1, the defense attorneys for Mikheil Saakashvili, the imprisoned former president, petitioned the Tbilisi City Court to either release Saakashvili or postpone his sentence in line with the law on health-related grounds.

Shalva Khachapuridze, one of his attorneys, delivered the petition, explaining that the 15-volume petition contains the medical experts' findings based on a physical examination of the former president and the images they took at the time. The attorneys anticipated that the court would quickly reach a decision and examine about 25 key witnesses. Khachapuridze asserted that it is inconceivable for the court to decide against releasing or delaying [Saakashvili's] sentence in light of the case's supporting documentation.

Khachapuridze emphasized that the court's failure to reach such a conclusion would be illegal and mean the death sentence for Saakashvili.

Earlier, Caucasus Watch reported that Oleksiy Arestovych, the Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, stated that the government of Georgia decided to destroy Saakashvili slowly.

Kelly Degnan: "The United States is proud to support Nino Lomjaria and her team"

On December 2, Kelly Degnan, the US Ambassador to Georgia, stated that the role of the Public Defender is one of the most challenging and important in any democracy.

Kelly Degnan pointed out that the Public Defender's constitutional duty is to uphold and defend every Georgian citizen's human right. "The Public Defender's role is to speak truth to power while safeguarding the rights of Georgian citizens and enhancing the institutions and procedures Georgia establishes for its democracy. Not everyone will appreciate what you do. It is a position that requires a great deal of bravery, honesty, independence, and dedication," she added.

"The United States is very proud to have been able to support Nino Lomjaria and her excellent professional team over the course of her term in helping the Public Defender’s Office strengthen its systems to be more responsive to the needs of Georgian citizens and to be better able and equipped to meet its constitutional obligation to protect and defend the human rights of every Georgian citizen," the US Ambassador to Georgia emphasized. "This is a great privilege for the United States to have been able to support an office that is so fundamentally important to every Georgian citizen," Degnan stated.

The Ambassador remarked she was impressed by the extent of work done by the Public Defender’s office over the last five years. She also expressed hope that the next public defender would be a qualified, independent, and devoted professional. "Who dares to speak truth to power and to represent the people of Georgia the way Nino Lomjaria and her team have done?" she concluded.

EU Ambassador to Georgia on Mikheil Saakashvili’s health

According to Pawel Herczynski, the EU Ambassador to Georgia, the European Union closely monitors Georgia's former president Mikheil Saakashvili's health.

Herczynski believes that Saakashvili’s rights need to be protected. "We are monitoring the health condition of former President Saakashvili very closely. We are in touch with his family and raising the issue of his rights with the Georgian authorities. His rights must be truly observed. Of course, it is up to the court of Georgia to decide about his future," the EU Ambassador added.