The 48-hour deadline is ending - the prosecutor's office must decide today whether to grant Mikheil Saakashvili the status of a victim

The 48-hour deadline given to the prosecutor's office is expiring - Irakli Shotadze's office must decide today whether it will recognise Mikheil Saakashvili as a victim.

If the state recognises the third president as a victim of torture and inhuman treatment, the lawyers will have full access to the case file, including evidence obtained by the state inspector.

Lawyers say there are all the prerequisites for granting the victim status, including the conclusion from the ombudsman's council. It states that the third president was seriously injured as a result of ill-treatment.

"The conclusion of the Public Defender's Council confirms that the harm caused to Mikheil Saakashvili in the context of his ill-treatment is undisputed, leaving all suspicion and all the arguments of the prosecution that Mikheil Saakashvili was not harmed and should not be declared a victim, has no substance," - Shota Tutberidze says.

The lawyers say that due to the fact that the Penitentiary Service and Ministry of Justice are silent and do not allow the third President to receive decent medical treatment, they intend to use all legal levers, including in courts, both at national level and before the European Court of Human Rights.