Georgia’s ex-president Saakashvili ‘poisoned’ in prison

TBILISI: Georgia´s jailed ex-president, Mikheil Saakashvili, had been “poisoned” in custody by heavy metals and risks dying without proper treatment, according to a medical report distributed on Monday by his legal team.

The 54-year-old was transferred to hospital last year after a hunger strike that he maintained for 50 days to protest at his jailing, which rights groups have denounced as politically motivated.

In a report distributed by Saakashvili´s legal team, US-based toxicologist David Smith said “testing has revealed the presence of heavy metals” in Saakashvili´s body and the pathological symptoms he displays “are the result of heavy metal poisoning”.