Georgian president says Saakashvili is special prisoner but won't be pardoned

FILE PHOTO: Supporters of Georgian ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, who called for post-election street protests and was arrested upon his arrival in Georgia despite facing imprisonment, hold a rally near a jail in Rustavi, Georgia October 4, 2021. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Jailed former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, who is on hunger strike, cannot be pardoned and his health condition should not cause political turmoil, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said on Wednesday, Interfax news agency reported.

Saakashvili, 53, has been on hunger strike for 34 days in prison, where he faces a six-year sentence after being convicted in absentia in 2018 of abuse of power and concealing evidence when he was president, charges he rejects as politically motivated.