“No information was directly provided to the clinic, to Mikheil Saakashvili himself, to the lawyers, or to the family. The penitentiary service did not provide any prior notice that this action was planned,” said Beka Basilia, lawyer for Georgia’s third president, Mikheil Saakashvili, speaking to journalists.

He added that this is not surprising, given that “they will resort to any form of repression.”

“We can see that the regime has entered a new phase of political persecution, and now they have even initiated the so-called ‘selfie with a shark’ case. The prosecution has declared Ukraine a hostile state and Georgia’s truly friendly countries are being treated as enemies. Accordingly, none of their subsequent actions — including what they did to Mikheil Saakashvili — are surprising to us, in the sense that yes, they will use any means of repression.

There was no prior warning. Regarding his medical indicators, no information was directly provided to the clinic, to Mikheil Saakashvili himself, to his lawyers, or to his family. The penitentiary service did not notify us in advance that this measure [transfer] was being planned. The doctor said that we were informed after working hours, and the transfer was carried out after working hours. This is not how it is supposed to happen; normally, advance notice is given several days ahead. That did not happen.

As for his health, we all saw that during the entire time he was in the clinic — for several years now — his presence there was necessary,” Basilia said.

He also stated that the penitentiary service receives direct orders from Georgian Dream.

“Any of their decisions are political decisions. This includes when physical force was used against him previously, when he was transferred from Gldani prison to the clinic. None of this is planned by the penitentiary service alone; the service takes direct orders from Georgian Dream. Therefore, if they make a political decision, as they have done in the past and as we have seen in their treatment of Georgia’s third president, it will increase the risks.

The last time I saw him in the clinic, he looked the same as we’ve seen him on television broadcasts and in court appearances,” Basilia added.

For context, on November 12, Georgia’s third president, Mikheil Saakashvili, was transferred from the “Vivamedi” clinic back to the N12 penitentiary facility, where he will continue serving his sentence under standard conditions. The penitentiary service explained that since Saakashvili’s “health condition is satisfactory and he no longer requires inpatient treatment,” he was discharged from the clinic.