The health condition of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is deteriorating due to rapid weight loss, Saakashvili’s doctors announced on Wednesday.
Saakashvili was detained by the Georgian police when he returned to his homeland in 2021. Prior to that, in 2018, a Georgian court sentenced him to six years in prison in absentia, among other things, for abuse of power during his time as the country’s president. His supporters say the charges are politically motivated and driven by the current ruling Georgian Dream party.
While in custody, Saakashvili’s health has deteriorated significantly.
Since the end of last year, Saakashvili has been in the hospital. He was hospitalized 50 days after going on hunger strike to protest his detention.
Saakashvili’s lawyers and doctors have repeatedly expressed concern about his deteriorating health.
Saakashvili’s doctor, Tamara Davarashvili, said at a press conference on Wednesday that Saakashvili could soon end up in the intensive care unit.
“The patient’s condition is becoming serious,” she said, adding that his weight and body mass are extremely low.
Saakashvili, who weighed 115 kilograms at the time of his arrest in October 2021, now weighs only 67 kilograms.
Last week, more than 570 members of the European Parliament (EP) passed a resolution calling on the Georgian government to release Saakashvili and allow him to receive medical treatment abroad.
The leaders of Poland, Ukraine and Moldova have also issued similar calls.
In early February, a Georgian court rejected Saakashvili’s request to postpone serving his prison sentence due to his health.
A group of US doctors has said that Saakashvili is suffering from serious neurological, gastrointestinal and orthopedic problems.
