Georgian president: Saakashvili's dignity must be protected

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili condemned the distribution of video footage of ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili being transported to a prison hospital, the president said this at a special briefing on Wednesday, Report's Georgian bureau informs.

"The dignity of the former president must be protected, despite his behavior, since the former president is still associated with the state, and this status must be respected. Accordingly, the distribution of a video clip discrediting his honor and dignity is categorically unacceptable for me, as the president of Georgia," said Zurabishvili.

On November 11, the Georgian Special Penitentiary Service distributed two episodes of video footage of Saakashvili's transfer to the prison clinic. One of the video clips shows how Saakashvili refuses to get out of the ambulance, and the second shows how he is taken to the prison hospital by force.

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili went on a hunger strike on October 1, the day of his arrest. Due to the deteriorating state of his health, the ex-president was taken to a prison clinic.