Georgia’s Minister of Health, Mikheil Sarjveladze, says the decision to transfer former President Mikheil Saakashvili from the “Vivamedi” clinic back to Penitentiary Facility No. 12 is “completely normal” and fully justified.
Sarjveladze stated that Saakashvili no longer requires inpatient medical care and therefore must continue serving his sentence under the same conditions as other prisoners.
“A person who does not have health problems and has a sentence to serve must indeed be in a penitentiary facility, just like any other inmate. No one can reasonably argue why this decision should not have been made or carried out. In my view, this is an absolutely normal decision,” the minister said.
Former President Mikheil Saakashvili was discharged from the Vivamedi clinic and transferred back to N12 penitentiary to continue serving his sentence under the standard regime.
The Penitentiary Service says Saakashvili was released from the clinic because his health condition is satisfactory and he no longer requires inpatient treatment.
Saakashvili had been receiving medical care at Vivamedi since 2022, while serving his sentence for abuse of power—charges he and his supporters consider politically motivated.
Related story: Mikheil Saakashvili taken back to Penitentiary Institution No. 12
