Saakashvili's health condition deteriorates seriously

Mikheil (Mikhail) Saakashvili, a former President of Georgia, has problems with communication and memory on the 35th day of his hunger strike. He refused to cooperate with a doctors' council convened by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), demanding to be examined by an independent council.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Saakashvili is on a hunger strike since October 1 at the Rustavi Prison, demanding his release. Saakashvili's latest medical analyzes refute the assertions of the penitentiary service that the hunger-striker's health condition is stable; in their turn, his advocates assert that Saakashvili's vital indicators have reached critical levels.

On the 35th day of his hunger strike, Saakashvili's health condition has become much worse, Nika Gvaramiya, one of Saakashvili's advocates, said on air of the "Mtavari Arkhi" TV Company.

Saakashvili's defence receives "absolutely formal and unjustified refusals" to requests to examine Saakashvili by an alternative panel of doctors, Mr Gvaramia has added. According to his story, there are suspicions that the penitentiary service is illegally obstructing the medical examination.

The NGO named "Empathy Centre for Psychological Rehabilitation of Torture Victims" has asked the penitentiary service and the health department to allow conducting Saakashvili examination by an alternative panel of doctors, said Mariam Djishkariani, the head of the NGO.

According to her story, denial of admission to a patient is a violation of his rights and discrimination, since people at large can choose a clinic and a doctor by themselves.