''The jailed ex-president cannot be just another inmate; he is a special inmate instead,'' Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili declared.
Zurabishvili stressed that former president Mikheil Saakashvili's dignity could not be violated.
According to Zurabishvili, the arrest of the former and now convict president is based on the principles of justice and equality before the law. ''Everyone is equal before the law. Correspondingly, the arrest of the ex-president rests on the principles of the rule of law. He was well-aware of this; yet, he arrived here illegally. Everyone is equal before the law, but when justice is served and the ex-president is kept behind bars, he cannot be deemed just another inmate; he is a special inmate instead. Everyone, including the public and the international community, keeps a close eye on his condition and requires high standards. The manner we will treat him and protect his dignity, health, and safety speak of us as a country. Accordingly, I have been receiving information updates on the ex-president's state of health from the corresponding bodies, the public defender, the State Inspector's Service, and the Health Ministry,'' Zurabishvili declared.
Former President Mikheil Saakashvili, detained on 1 October, has been on a hunger strike for 48 days now.
