NGOs have issued a statement regarding the hospitalization of Georgia's third president, Mikheil Saakashvili, stating that the government should address the issue of his hospitalization not on the basis of political expediency, but on the basis of high standard of protection of human life, health and personal safety.

According to the signatory organizations, Mikheil Saakashvili has been on hunger strike for 26 days since his arrest, and the risks of deterioration of his health and the need for hospitalization are increasing every minute.

"According to the conclusion of doctors invited and qualified by the Ministry of Justice of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili should be hospitalized in a hospital with relevant staff and medical equipment. According to the conclusion of the Public Defender of Georgia, the N18 facility (so-called prison hospital) does not fully comply with the recommendations issued by the multifunctional group of doctors in terms of medical care and contains certain risks relating to safety.

In view of the above, we call on the authorities to take full account of the conclusion and recommendations of the multifunctional group of doctors and the Public Defender of Georgia when deciding on the hospitalization of the third President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, and to make a decision on hospitalization so that to exclude all risks posing to his life and health, as well as safety," reads the statement signed by: Georgian Democratic Initiative (GDI), Governance Monitoring Center (GMC), Open Society Foundation (OSGF), Institute for Democracy and Safe Development (IDSD), Human Rights Center (HRC), International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), Transparency International Georgia (TI), Partnership for Human Rights (PHR), Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC), Media Development Fund (MDF), Center for Research Journalism and Economic Analysis, Society and Banks, Sapari, Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI), Empathy Center, Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA), Social Justice Center (SJC), Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), United Nations Association of Georgia (UNAG).

source: IPN