The opposition Lelo party has called on President Salome Zourabichvili to pardon imprisoned ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili.

Lelo said the moves of the current Georgian government resemble the Chronicle of a Death Foretold and political cannibalism. According to the opposition party, the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and its founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, are directly responsible for the ex-president’s life and health.

In an annual report on the implementation of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement (AA), adopted by the European Parliament (EP) on December 14, the MEPs reiterated their call on the Georgian authorities “to release former President Mikheil Saakashvili and allow him to receive proper medical treatment abroad on humanitarian grounds and as a means of reducing political polarization.”

Remarking on the EP report, Georgian Deputy Justice Minister Beka Dzamashvili stated that the Ministry and Penitentiary Service were “open” about Saakashvili’s case.

“Of course, the Ministry will continue to fully protect Mikheil Saakashvili’s rights, as it has in the past. His rights have never been restricted at any point. On the contrary, the Ministry has always ensured that his rights are protected,” Dzamashvili stated.