The trial of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who was arrested after illegally entering the country, will begin in November 2021.
Saakashvili’s lawyer Beka Basilaia told Izvestia about this, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
According to him, two cases of illegal border crossing are pending in the Tbilisi City Court.
“The Ministry of Justice says that the trial will not take place in a courtroom, but in a prison. We have no hope that we will achieve justice in Georgia because the judicial system is in the hands of Bidzina Ivanishvili. We do not expect success here, but we intend to bring the matter to Strasbourg and fight for the rights of Mikheil Saakashvili there,” the lawyer said.
At the same time, the defense is against the transfer to the prison hospital of Saakashvili, whose health, according to his supporters, has deteriorated after his alleged hunger strike.
“There are six buildings in the penitentiary, where there are criminals convicted under a number of criminal articles. It is simply impossible to ensure safety in such conditions. You know that Mikheil Saakashvili became a reformer of the Georgian police and fought organized crime, including thieves in law. His presence in this institution carries many risks. That is why we demand a transfer to a private clinic,” Basilaya said.