Saakashvili restricted in his right to see relatives

The administration of the Rustavi Prison has banned family members of Mikheil (Mikhail) Saakashvili, a former Georgian President, from visiting him more than once a month.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that the trial in the case against Mikhail Saakashvili, who is accused of illegally crossing the Georgian border, is taking place in the Tbilisi City Court. Meanwhile, Mikhail Saakashvili, who went on a long hunger strike after returning to the country, is not allowed to be visited by a private doctor, and that fact violates the rights of the arrested person, the politician’s advocate told the “Caucasian Knot” on January 19.

On February 14, Saakashvili wrote in his Facebook page that his right to be visited by his relatives had been restricted. "On Sunday, a bored regime employee came in and announced to me that my family members' visits, which assume an hour-long contact by phone through the glass, will no longer be once a week, but once a month," Mr Saakashvili has written.

He has blamed for that Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling "Georgian Dream" Party, and linked the restriction with the decision of the Ukrainian prosecutor's office, which on February 10 officially recognized Saakashvili as the suffered party. "I've never come across such a thing," the oppositional politician has stated, adding: "I am sure that this will be added to the cases initiated by the Ukrainian prosecutor's office, or in Georgia, which will be liberated in the near future."

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 15, 2022 at 07:15 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.