Former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, who was detained by Georgian authorities after his return to the country, has announced the end of his hunger strike, but on the condition that he will continue his rehabilitation in a civilian medical facility. He announced this on Facebook.
According to Saakashvili, he thus heeds the call of the European Court of Human Rights and Western partners.
"The process of rehabilitation after a hunger strike is much more complicated than the process of managing a hunger strike, so the Gldani hospital does not have the technological facilities or qualified medical personnel. In addition, it is unimaginable for me to trust the staff of that institution who are holding me in conditions of torture, you have also seen footage of their violence against me today. In addition, there are no guarantees of safety and protection from psychological pressure, which is a requirement of the Strasbourg Court. I also consider the Gori hospital a huge threat because several kilometers away there are special units of the Russian occupation army and special forces, the Russia that is the main customer of my liquidation. I ask the council of doctors to decide in which multifunctional and high-tech clinics and under what conditions I will undergo a period of rehabilitation after the hunger strike.
The consilium's decision should not be a recommendation, but a binding one to which I will unconditionally obey, and to which the authorities should also unconditionally obey. In this situation, as soon as this decision is made and I am transferred from this institution to a proper one, I will immediately end my hunger strike," Saakashvili said.
Saakashvili also stressed in his statement that the hunger strike is already becoming a weapon of the Russians and the current government against him.
