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Polish doctors examining Georgian ex-president: gov't

13.07.2023 10:30
Poland has sent a team of doctors to Georgia to examine the country's jailed ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili, officials have announced.
Audio
Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, pictured in December 2021.
Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, pictured in December 2021.Photo: EPA/IRAKLI GEDENIDZE

Saakashvili, who was president of Georgia from 2004 to 2013, is serving a six-year sentence for abuse of power, a charge he denies and regards as politically motivated, according to news reports.

His health deteriorated in prison, where he has staged repeated hunger strikes and alleges he was poisoned, the Reuters news agency reported.

"We do not leave friends in need," Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

"At my request, a team of Polish doctors ... started a comprehensive medical examination of President Mikheil Saakashvili in Georgia," he added.

Morawiecki's announcement came after his government spokesman Piotr Müller said in March that Polish medics were ready to travel to Georgia to provide medical assistance to Saakashvili, pending approval from the authorities in Tbilisi.

Saakashvili has repeatedly asked for permission to be transferred abroad
for treatment, according to the PAP news agency. 

In mid-February, Morawiecki proposed to the Georgian government that Saakashvili be treated in Poland.  

In late February, Saakashvili thanked Poland for its support after European Union member states issued a formal diplomatic warning to Tbilisi over his deteriorating health, according to reports at the time.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters

Click on the audio player above to listen to a report by Radio Poland's Michał Owczarek.