The Empathy center responded to the statement of the Minister of Justice of Georgia, Rati Bregadze, who said that according to the conclusion of the Samkharauli Bureau, the diagnoses of Empathy regarding Mikheil Saakashvili are not reliable.

As stated in the statement of Empathy center, "the legal basis for the preparation of a report on a report is questionable and it indicates the biased status of the Ministry of Justice".

In addition, Empathy considers the actions of Justice Minister Rati Bregadze as an attempt to put pressure on Empathy and the group of experts, as well as to influence the court, to discredit and damage the reputation of local and international experts.

"Due to the high public interest, we are once again responding to the briefing of the Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze, which he held on January 27.

At the mentioned briefing, he said that "in order to establish the truth", the special penitentiary service applied to the Samkharauli National Bureau for the examination of the report of the Empathy center relating to Mikheil Saakashvili. The minister also stated that from the gastroenterological, neurological and psychiatric point of view, the diagnoses established by the Empathy center are not reliable or accurate. According to Georgian legislation, an expert does not have the right to talk about torture, etc.

In this regard, I would like to inform you of the following: the legal basis for the preparation of a report on a report is questionable and indicates the biased status of the Ministry of Justice. We are not aware of such an action in the case of another prisoner”, reads the statement.

“The Empathy center is waiting for the report from the Samkharauli Bureau. After getting acquainted with the above, a group of experts will hold a press conference, as well as an examination of the report with the participation of international experts.

We consider the actions of the Minister of Justice Rati Bregadze as an attempt to put pressure on the non-governmental organization Empathy Center and the group of experts, as well as an attempt to influence the court, to discredit and damage the reputation of local and international experts," reads the statement published by the Empathy center.