TBILISI -- Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili needed assistance to leave the courtroom at his trial on an illegal border-crossing charge on April 20, raising fears over his state of health.
A tired-looking Saakashvili was giving testimony at the trial when he stopped and said: "I need doctor's assistance."
⚡️Экс-президенту Грузии Михаилу Саакашвили стало плохо в зале суда#saakashvili #саакашвили @SaakashviliM pic.twitter.com/gkcNbQtmWT
— Эхо Кавказа (@ekhokavkaza) April 20, 2022
Saakashvili, who served as Georgia's president from 2004 until 2013, was helped out of the courtroom but returned about 10 minutes later, saying he feels fatigued and suffers from insomnia.
"I have lost 12 kilograms in recent days. I am literally unable to eat. Probably because of that, I fully lost control over my legs," Saakashvili said.
Saakashvili, 54, has been in custody since October 1, when he was detained shortly after returning to Georgia from self-imposed exile. He is serving a six-year sentence after being convicted in absentia of abuse of office, a charge he called politically motivated.
He is currently on trial on separate charges of violently dispersing an anti-government rally in November 2007 and has been charged with embezzlement. He has rejected those charges as well, calling them politically motivated.
Saakashvili’s doctors and supporters say his health has deteriorated dramatically since he held two separate hunger strikes during his detention.
Saakashvili, who is currently a Ukrainian citizen, also made a statement regarding Russia's ongoing unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, saying the "whole world is winning in this war."