Georgia’s third president, Mikheil Saakashvili, has been returned to Penitentiary Institution No. 12 to continue serving his sentence under the standard regime, the Penitentiary Service announced.
The agency says Saakashvili had been placed at the Vivamedi Clinic on May 12, 2022, for inpatient medical treatment and had remained there since. His return to prison, the statement notes, was made in accordance with Georgian legislation, which requires that such a decision be based on the assessment of the treating physician and the inmate’s health status. The Penitentiary Service said Saakashvili’s condition is now “satisfactory” and no longer requires inpatient care, leading to his discharge from the clinic and his transfer back to Rustavi’s No. 12 facility.
Saakashvili, who was sentenced in two separate abuse-of-power cases after returning to Georgia in autumn 2021, has long argued that the charges against him are politically motivated. His health and treatment have been the focus of ongoing public and international scrutiny, with opposition groups, NGOs and several Western officials repeatedly questioning the adequacy of medical care provided in custody. Despite numerous appeals for his release or transfer abroad for treatment, Georgian authorities have maintained that his condition has been under continuous medical supervision and that all decisions regarding his placement are based solely on clinical evaluations.
