Georgia's ex-president Saakashvili needs treatment abroad, doctor says

FILE PHOTO: Georgian former President Mikheil Saakashvili, who was convicted in absentia of abuse of power during his presidency and arrested upon his return from exile, reacts in a defendant's dock during a court hearing in Tbilisi, Georgia, December 2, 2021. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze/Pool/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili needs specialist treatment abroad, a doctor with Georgia's human rights commissioner said on Sunday, weeks after Saakashvili ended a 50-day hunger strike in prison, Russian TASS news agency reported.

Saakashvili agreed to end the hunger strike on Nov. 20, finishing a protest that raised political tensions in the former Soviet republic and drew expressions of concern from the United States. [L8N2SA2YW]