On February 15, the Special Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia published a new video with the imprisoned ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili from the Vivamedi clinic. The opposition media previously published a video of Saakashvili falling to the floor.

On the same day, European Parliament approved a resolution concerning the predicament of Mikheil Saakashvili. 577 MEPs voted in favor of the measure, while 33 abstained. The former president of Georgia is demanded to be released by the European Parliament.

The declining health of Saakashvili and the government of Georgia's so far ineffective reaction have alarmed members of parliament. According to the resolution, the Saakashvili issue is a litmus test for the Georgian government's dedication to European principles and its publicly stated objectives for European integration, including EU candidate status.

By Georgia's constitution and international commitments, MEPs reminded the Georgian authorities that they have a responsibility to ensure the health and well-being of the former President, to provide him with adequate medical treatment, and to respect his fundamental rights and personal dignity. The resolution seeks Mikheil Saakashvili's pardon by the Georgian President, who is currently in office.

According to the resolution, Georgia's reputation and chances of becoming a candidate for the European Union will continue to suffer if former President Mikheil Saakashvili's condition does not improve. According to the resolution, the Georgian government should free former President Mikheil Saakashvili and permit him to obtain competent medical care abroad on humanitarian grounds and as a method to reduce political tensions.

Reaction from the opposition and ruling party

Kakha Kaladze, Mayor of Tbilisi, Secretary General of Georgian Dream, said: "There is nothing new in this resolution, and it has no value… The document cannot be valuable if it is about his lobbyists' direct patronage of a criminal. The document cannot be valuable if it says that a philanthropist should be sanctioned."  

Irakli Kobakhidze, the chairman of the Georgian Dream, emphasized, "The public has become accustomed to absurd provisions in the European Parliament’s resolutions, which is very unfortunate. It should be noted that these absurd provisions are not shared by the European Commission or the European Council. This happened in the previous two cases, and the same will happen this time. I don't know what is wrong with the European Parliament. We have been as careful with EU institutions as possible, and therefore, we have focused on specific odious MEPs, but now the public sees everything. This is a systemic problem facing this institution called the European Parliament. This is a very serious problem, such a decision, frankly, would be the envy of the Supreme Council of the Soviet Union. I well remember the end of the 80s and what happened then, the sessions of the Supreme Council of the Soviet Union were broadcast. What happened there, the same thing happened today, and the same thing happened in the case of the previous two resolutions in the European Parliament. This is an outright disaster."

Levan Khabeishvili, chairman of the United National Movement, said: "This resolution makes it clear that Bidzina Ivanishvili is carrying out a personal vendetta against Mikheil Saakashvili. It also contains a provision for imposing sanctions against him. What else should the European resolution say… It is the first time in the history of independent Georgia that the resolution of such a level clearly mentions the name of a political prisoner, and it is Saakashvili."  

Badri Japaridze, Lelo for Georgia, underlined: "The European Parliament calls for sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili. It means that the undemocratic steps taken by the Georgian Dream have provoked a strongly negative reaction from the Western democratic world, which is particularly damaging for our country at this historical moment when the issue of granting the EU candidate status to Georgia should be resolved in a few months."