The Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia did not allow former President Mikheil Saakashvili to attend the funeral ceremony of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II on March 22.
Modern.az reports that Saakashvili had made this request through his lawyer.
M. Saakashvili had requested to be allowed to attend the funeral ceremony, citing his status as a former president and the fact that Patriarch Ilia II was his friend and his son's godfather.
The Penitentiary Service stated that "the request of inmate Mikheil Saakashvili to attend the funeral ceremony of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of All Georgia cannot be granted, as this does not fall under the exceptional circumstances in which prisoners are allowed to leave correctional facilities".
One of Saakashvili's closest allies, former Defense Minister Giorgi Baramidze, told journalists that the current government "is reluctant to allow the president to leave prison for the patriarch's funeral because it would cause public unrest".
Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia passed away in hospital on March 17. He was 93 years old.
It should be noted that former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili will remain in prison until October 2030 unless he is pardoned or released on parole. Saakashvili was arrested on October 1, 2021.
Saakashvili was found guilty of embezzlement of state funds, illegal crossing of the state border, and several other charges.
