US Department of State released a statement regarding jailed ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, who has been on a hunger strike since his arrest on October 1.

“We are closely following the treatment of former President Mikheil Saakashvili since his arrest on October 1.  We commend the oversight work of the Georgian Public Defender in establishing an independent medical team to evaluate Mr. Saakashvili’s health and to review the state of medical facilities at the prison hospital.

We urge the Government of Georgia to treat Mr. Saakashvili fairly and with dignity, as well as to heed the Public Defender’s recommendations about appropriate treatment.

We also strongly urge the Government of Georgia to ensure Mr. Saakashvili is able to attend all court hearings for his pending criminal cases, in line with international law. Mr. Saakashvili has a right to a fair trial, which includes the opportunity to attend court hearings in person should he request to do so,” reads the statement.

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