Hunger Strike

On December 15, Davit Kirkitadze, Ana Tsitlidze, and Abdula Ismailov from the oppositional United National Movement began a hunger strike within the Parliament. After a day, Temur Janashi joined them. They claim that the hunger strike will not end unless Mikheil Saakashvili is sent abroad for medical care.

On December 16, Shalva Papuashvili, the Chairman of the Georgian Parliament, paid a visit to the National Movement legislators who had declared a hunger strike. Papuashvili urged the MPs to end the hunger strike.

The plenary session of the Parliament

On the same day, at the plenary session where Minister of Justice Rati Bregadze was heard, members of the National Movement group left the meeting in protest with banners in hand.

Banners displayed images of Mikheil Saakashvili taken from the video footage provided by the Penitentiary Service. On the flag was written, "Do not kill!"

Harsh statement toward Justice Minister

Khatia Dekanoidze, the Chairwoman of the National Movement faction, addressed Rati Bregadze, the Minister of Justice, in the Parliament session, saying, "Mr. Rati, I am sure that you will be held accountable before the law very soon—you will be the direct object of the investigation in the criminal case 'Saakashvili-Rati Bregadze.'"

According to Khatia Dekanoidze, the Minister has announced the chronicle of death and is acting in blatant violation of the criminal code. "He is also misleading the public," she added. "The minister who came here is a criminal. He should now be answering the questions of the prosecutor and the investigation, not standing here and deceiving Georgian society. He dares to come here. You, my colleagues, will also stand and listen to a person who is a direct criminal! A person who has been directly declared to be a chronicle of a death. This individual should not be here; he should be in the prosecutor's office, answering the questions that society has for him. Therefore, each of you should think," Dekanoidze noted.

Justice Minister responds

During his speech in the format of the Minister's Hour at the plenary session of the Parliament, Rati Bregadze stated: "It is a paradox because these people [National Movement] run away from the hall because they have nothing to say, except for a talentless, insulting, cursing performance."

"Statistics of the Strasbourg Court are the best indicator of the ongoing reforms in the country. Currently, only 138 cases against Georgia are considered, which is a historical minimum. It is necessary to make a comparison in order not to forget history. In 2011-2012, the court had between 3,000 and 4,000 cases filed against Georgia. These are the statistics that show the legal status of people in Georgia. It's a paradox - these people run away from the hall because they have nothing to say except for a talentless, insulting, cursing performance. They have nothing else to say and therefore run away from the hall. The media can show empty seats of these so-called brave people who present themself as if they love the country but actually who work against the interests of Georgia both inside and outside the country. Even the empty seats clearly show their approach to the state," Rati Bregadze emphasized.