Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Georgia regarding the continued imprisonment of the former President of that country, Mikheil Saakashvili.

We are following former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili's arrest and imprisonment closely. Her Majesty's Ambassador to Georgia discussed Mr Saakashvili's detention with the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament on 15 October, and our Deputy Head of Mission highlighted our concerns with the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs on 11 November. Senior Officials further raised Mr Saakashvili's treatment with the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 1 December in Tbilisi. We were pleased that Mr Saakashvili ended his hunger strike on 20 November and agreed to receive medical treatment at a military hospital. It is important that Mr Saakashvili receives treatment in line with international human rights standards, and that any further hearings are in line with the rule of law and due process.

We will continue to monitor developments around Mr Saakashvili closely in the future.