According to the lawyer Eka Beselia, the health condition of businessman Giorgi Chikvaidze, who has been arrested on charges of embezzling a large amount of money, is serious. Chikvaidze, who has been on a hunger strike for the 9th day, was visited by Beselia at the Gldani No. 8 penitentiary institution.

According to Beselia, the prison director promised to transfer the accused to the Gldani No. 18 medical facility today. However, the human rights defender stated that this is not enough, and Chikvaidze should be placed in a specialized clinic.

"I stayed quite a long time and spoke with him because his condition is very serious. He moves in a wheelchair; he cannot move physically, which is the most alarming medical sign. He needs special attention under medical supervision. It is difficult for me to describe the details of his medical condition, but I can tell you that he cannot walk, it was hard for him to speak, but slowly he gathered strength. He is very principled in his position to continue the hunger strike until he physically can’t anymore. He demands that they present even one piece of evidence showing why his detention was changed to the most severe measure of imprisonment. His arrest occurred without any evidence or proof. He says that he never intended to leave the country and plans to continue proving his innocence."

The head of the institution also came in, spoke to him, and told him that he would be transferred today to the Gldani No. 18 medical facility on the prison premises. Chikvaidze requires certain conditions to ensure his communication is not restricted and that he has the opportunity to make at least one phone call per day. He is willing to move to the medical facility under these conditions, but he does not intend to stop his hunger strike. From what I visually observed, he probably needs to be in a specialized medical facility where doctors can take care of him and assess the risks he is facing, as he has health problems that worsened during the hunger strike. He is essentially in a self-sacrificial state, and he has decided to go to the extreme, even at the cost of his own life," Beselia stated.

For the record, Giorgi Chikvaidze, who is accused of embezzling a large amount of money, had his bail of 50,000 GEL replaced with imprisonment. He was arrested in the courtroom on March 11. His friend, Irakli Papiashvili, is also charged, but he has been given a 50,000 GEL bail. Giorgi Chikvaidze started his hunger strike on March 12.