Dear President Zourabishvili,
I am writing to you regarding former President Mikheil Saakashvili.
Based on the reports of the medical experts, and based on the testimony of many private visitors, Mikheil Saakashvili is slowly dying in the clinic where he is being detained. It is reported that he suffers from multiple illnesses, that his health is deteriorating daily, and that he is unable to move himself autonomously anymore; in short, he is flickering like a candle in the wind.
You are currently the only person in Georgia who can save his life, or save him from being permanently damaged by his illnesses.
From the angle of good governance:
Please allow me to remind you of a historic event that happened in France in the year 1498, when King Louis XII of France was told soon after he came to the throne that he should now punish his enemies for doing him wrong when he was the Duke of Orleans; he replied that it was not the concern of the King of France to avenge the injuries inflicted on the Duke of Orleans. King Louis XII is widely remembered for his wiseness, which is defined today as “good governance”.
I understand that you may have been wronged by President Saakashvili when he dismissed you as Minister of Foreign Affairs, but today as President of Georgia, and as the highest moral authority in the country, you should get over the injuries that then President Saakashvili might have inflicted on you, and act on the basis of your moral and human values.
From the angle of politics:
I read one of your statements, in which you claim that pardoning former President Saakashvili would increase polarization in the country; please allow me to totally disagree with you on this very point, and to tell you that the Georgian society is so polarized that it can’t be polarized any further. Your statement would be equivalent to saying that you wouldn’t want someone who is drowning under 50 meters of water to drawn any deeper.
From the angle of legality:
You may be familiar with the law regarding “Non Assistance to a Person in Danger”; therefore and considering that you are today the only person in Georgia who can save former President Saakashvili from dying or from being very seriously handicapped, by simply pardoning him, refusing to grant him this pardon to save his life or to save his health, might entail your legal responsibility for refusing assistance to a person in danger, which is a crime.
Dear President Zourabishvili, you are today at a crossroad, you will either act as a President or act as a partisan; the choice is yours, you have very few days to decide, however your future and your place in history will be determined by this very decision.
Sincerely,
Fady Asly
Tbilisi, November 30, 2022
Background:
2 Nov 2022
Georgian president Salome Zourabichvili on Thursday said domestic courts should allow the imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakshvili’s transfer abroad for medical treatment if the anticipated report by health professionals studying his condition established ”serious complications”.
25 Nov 2022
Thea Tsulukiani, the vice prime minister and former minister of justice of Georgia, on Friday urged president Salome Zourabichvili to refrain from making “any calls” to domestic courts over the imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili, saying it could be seen as interference in judicial developments around the former official.
29 No 2022
Georgian justice minister Rati Bregadze on Tuesday said the government was offering the imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili to bring “any doctor from any foreign clinic” and involve them in his treatment in Georgia.
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Saakashvili was arrested in Tbilisi in October 2021 after his clandestine return to Georgia and is currently serving a six-year term for two separate abuse of power cases while in office, with three other cases involving his term pending.
