“Every individual is equal before the law, accordingly, the ex-president’s arrest is based on the principles of the rule of law,” Georgia’s current president Salome Zourabichvili underscored on Wednesday evening. She said Saakashvili was well aware of it but he arrived here illegally.

Zourabichvili stressed that Saakashvili can not be an “ordinary inmate,” “how we treat him shows the country’s face.” She noted that since Saakashvili is not everyman, his transfer to a civilian clinic is more difficult and risky.

“Logically, the government should be most interested in maintaining the health of the former president. For its part, the public has the right to receive complete, impartial, reliable and detailed information daily on his health, nutrition, and tests, instead of false rumours and speculations. This is the government’s duty and I urge it to start fulfilling this obligation immediately and not partially,” she asserted.

Zourabichvili believes every word or action should be carefully considered to avoid provocations and attempts of confrontation. “The country that is occupied and strives for European integration is under special observation and threat. Therefore, any provocation, speculation and destabilization, no matter where it stems from, requires an immediate, thoughtful and reasonable response.”

“The government is obliged to take all the measures, provide all the information, consider all the threats that may affect the stability of the society or the country. At such times, it is unfortunate that the medical council [over Saakashvili] was not given the opportunity to continue its activities, but ombudswoman’s initiative to assess the current situation and provide additional information to the public is noteworthy as the lack of information feeds commotion,” she stated.

She also denounced the release of Saakashvili’s footages, dubbing it “categorically unacceptable.”

“I would like to address the government, the public and express my views on this serious issue. First of all, the dignity of the former president must be protected, as he is still connected to the state and this status must be respected. Thus, spreading footages, which violate honour and dignity, is categorically unacceptable,” Zourabichvili noted.

Earlier, the Georgian Special Penitentiary Service released videos of former president Mikheil Saakashvili, showing him receiving food at the Rustavi prison and also his transfer from Rustavi prison to No.18 prison hospital.

Mikheil Saakashvili, who is on the 48th day of his hunger strike, has been taken to the No.18 prison infirmary on November 8.

The ex-president has been charged with several criminal offences. In 2018, he was sentenced to six years in prison in absentia for abuse of power.