He is at risk of death if he does not receive proper treatment, according to a medical report
Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was “poisoned” with heavy metals in prison in Georgia, his lawyers announced today.
Saakashvili, 54, who is also the opposition leader in the Caucasus country, was taken to hospital last year after a 50-day hunger strike to protest his jailing for abuse of power, which he denounces as politically motivated.
In a report made public by his lawyers, American toxicologist David Smith asserts that “examinations revealed the presence of heavy metals” in the body of the former president of the country and that the symptoms he is experiencing “are the result of heavy metal poisoning.”
“With a realistic degree of medical certainty” these toxic agents, including mercury and arsenic, appeared in Mr. Saakashvili’s system after his incarceration, Smith added.
According to the authors of this report dated November 28, the person concerned is receiving medical treatment that is harmful to him without proper supervision.
“Increased risk of mortality is imminent” without proper treatment, “which appears to have been rejected or unavailable” in Georgia, Smith warned.
Georgian authorities have assured that Mikheil Saakashvili is receiving all necessary care with President Salome Zourabisvili saying it is up to the courts to decide whether he should be released on health grounds.
Another doctor, Mariam Tziskariano, who chaired the medical board that examined Saakashvili, told AFP today that the latter “was diagnosed with brain damage and neurological problems as a result of poisoning.”
“He suffers from a number of serious illnesses, which are incompatible with his incarceration,” he added.
Tengiz Tsulatze, for his part, a member of a medical board appointed by the Georgian human rights ombudsman, revealed on Sunday that Saakashvili has “lost more than 40 kilograms” during his detention.
President of Georgia from 2004 to 2013, Mr Mikheil Saakashvili he was imprisoned in October 2021 a few days after his return from many years of exile, as he was wanted by Georgian justice.
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