The Empathy Center responded to the statement of the Minister of Justice of Georgia, who said that according to the conclusion of the Levan Samkharauli National Forensics Bureau [NFB], the diagnoses of Empathy regarding Mikheil Saakashvili are not reliable.

“Rati Bregadze said that “in order to establish the truth”, the special penitentiary service applied to the NFB for the examination of the report of the Empathy Center relating to Mikheil Saakashvili. The minister also stated that from the gastroenterological, neurological and psychiatric point of view, the diagnoses established by the Empathy center are not reliable or accurate. According to Georgian legislation, an expert does not have the right to talk about torture, etc.

I want to inform you of the following: the legal basis for the preparation of a report on a report is questionable and indicates the biased status of the Ministry of Justice. We are not aware of such an action in the case of another prisoner.

The Empathy Center is waiting for the report from the NFB. After getting acquainted with the above, a group of experts will hold a press conference, as well as an examination of the report with the participation of international experts”, - reads the statement.