Lawyer Shalva Khachapuridze told Mtavari TV that medical tests on former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who is serving a six-year sentence, detected arsenic in his body.
“Tests are still ongoing, including nail tests that are due today, but initial indications from the patient’s monitoring show a troubling finding. The substance detected is arsenic,” the lawyer commented.
The lawyer stated on November 28 that, for the first time in a long period, Saakashvili is expected to attend a court session regarding the illegal border crossing case. The accused chose to appear at the hearing to avoid further delays or postponements in the proceedings.
Saakashvili will require a specially equipped chair to participate, given that his condition is serious and he cannot move unaided.
heavy metal poisoning
Previously, there has been speculation about the possibility of poisoning Saakashvili with heavy metals, particularly mercury. Lawyer Valery Gelbakhiani and the former president’s mother, Giuli Alasania, cited a medical report from the nonprofit Empathy as evidence of poisoning. Although Empathy announced that the document was ready a week earlier, it has not yet been released publicly. Georgian authorities, meanwhile, urged restraint and cautioned against drawing premature conclusions about potential poisoning.
Mariam Jishkariani, head of the NGO Empatiya, which conducted the investigation, stated that the organization’s experts had considered the possibility of poisoning. “It is plausible that Saakashvili faced poisoning, and further confirmation is awaited. Questions about his treatment and conditions remain,” Jishkariani remarked. She noted that the hair sample analysis conducted in the United States revealed three heavy metals: bismuth, mercury, and barium. According to her findings, the concentrations exceeded safe limits, with bismuth over the maximum by about 100%, mercury by around 42%, and barium by roughly 20%.
“What other substances and compounds might be present is unclear within the Georgian context,” said the head of Empathy. The NGO has urged that Saakashvili be promptly transferred to the Charité Clinic in Berlin for further examination and treatment, arguing that his life in the Georgian prison system is at risk.
The former president’s lawyers and doctors have long pressed for transfer to a foreign clinic, a move that would effectively amount to his release from prison and could complicate his return to Georgia to serve the sentence. If poisoning is confirmed, human rights advocates and family members are expected to seek diplomatic channels for a response.
In contrast, Irakli Kobakhidze, head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, had previously suggested that Saakashvili may have harmed himself, linking the case to a version of self-ingested substances. President Salome Zurabishvili stated that any decision to postpone Saakashvili’s detention should be made by the court in light of the medical findings.
The situation worsens
Mid-November reports from Saakashvili’s legal team indicated a decline in his condition, including atrophy of the right arm. Earlier, doctors had suspected the presence of more than 35 illnesses, including dementia and tuberculosis.
On November 21, Saakashvili asked his supporters and the public not to speculate about his health on social media or spread rumors of poisoning. He acknowledged that his health had deteriorated over the past two months, while doctors continued to work toward improvement.
The claim that Saakashvili had been poisoned was publicly raised by his mother on November 19. She stated that the cause of the unknown substances in his body was unclear and criticized the reasoning that he was intoxicated, which she argued warranted immediate remedies rather than judgment.
Mikheil Saakashvili returned to Georgia on October 1, 2021, and was immediately arrested. He faced charges related to illegal border crossing, embezzlement of state funds, and the destruction of the Imedi television company. He was later convicted in absentia in two other cases: involvement in the 2006 murder of a bank employee, Sandro Girgvliani, and an attack on former deputy Valery Gelashvili in 2005.
The politician has argued that his arrest was unlawful and that the charges were fabricated. He has undertaken multiple hunger strikes in protest.
Saakashvili served as Georgia’s president from 2004 to 2013. In 2015-2016, he acquired Ukrainian citizenship and led the Odessa regional administration.