President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky reacted to the publication of footage of Mikhail Saakashvili's speech in court via video link. On them, the ex-president of Georgia looks painfully thin and haggard.
Zelensky called on the Georgian authorities to stop "mocking" Saakashvili and allow him to travel to Ukraine, of which he is a citizen. The former president of Georgia is on trial in the case of the dispersal of the rally in 2007.
The President of Ukraine stressed that official Tbilisi was offered many options for resolving this situation, including in coordination with other states. Now, Zelensky has ordered the Georgian ambassador to leave within 48 hours for consultations with the authorities of his country.
He also drew the attention of international partners to the fact that one of the European values is life and that a state that shares it does not have the right to execute people. Zelensky urged not to ignore the situation and "save this man."
Mikheil Saakashvili's brother David said that the condition of his relative is the result of the conditions in which he was kept for many months. He also admitted that his brother may have been poisoned and is "heading towards death".
Mikheil Saakashvili was arrested in 2021 after returning to Georgia. By May 2022, the health of the former president was so undermined that he was transferred to the hospital. Among the diagnoses made by the politician are dementia and “intoxication of the body”, he lost more than 40 kilograms.