Georgia State Police arrested dozens of opposition supporters on Monday (November 29). They rallied outside the courtroom. Former President Mikheil Saakashvili faced allegations of abuse of power outside the courtroom. The trial, he condemned it as politically motivated.
This is Saakashvili’s first appearance in court since the top leader of the opposition in the Caucasus was arrested shortly after returning from exile on October 1. From 2004 to 2013, Georgian President Saakashvili refused food for 50 consecutive days in protest against his prosecution.
According to a short mobile phone video broadcast by the independent Pirveli TV station, on Monday, Saakashvili was seen sitting in a glass box in the courtroom. More than 1,000 supporters rallied outside the courtroom, waving the flags of Georgia and the European Union. Chanted his name.
Mikhail Saakashvili: “I would not be today without the courage of Nino Lomgaria and the members of the consulate. She saved the lives of me, Elene Khoshtaria and other hunger strikers. I thank Elene Khoshtaria and all my supporters. pic.twitter.com/gTOkqEHv3w
— Georgia Today (@GeorgiaToday_GT) November 29, 2021
Mtavari TV, which supports the opposition, said police arrested dozens of demonstrators after blocking traffic in nearby streets.
On November 20, Saakashvili canceled the hunger strike when the doctor warned him that he might die soon and was transferred to a military hospital.
The Georgian authorities initially banned him from participating in the trial, but later revoked the decision after the U.S. State Department demanded respect for Saakashvili’s right to a fair trial.
Saakashvili said on Facebook last week: “I am not afraid to appear in a fair court and defend my truth in front of the Georgian people,” but he added that he believes he “sees justice in this court.” The probability is zero”. “
In 2018, Saakashvili was sentenced in absentia to six years in prison on two counts of abuse of power, and faces two other trials on similar charges.
He insisted that all the charges against him were politically motivated.
Monday’s trial involved Saakashvili’s alleged role in the police’s violent suppression of opposition protests in 2007.
Saakashvili admitted at the time that the police used excessive force against the protesters. He resigned and demanded that the presidential election be held in advance. He then won the election.
His lawyer Dito Sazaglishvili told AFP that Saakashvili “has no role in ordering and planning police operations.”
“The prosecutor failed to provide any evidence of Saakashvili’s misconduct.”
Amnesty International condemned Saakashvili’s treatment and called it “not only selective justice, but also obvious political revenge.”
Critics accuse the Georgian government of using criminal proceedings to punish political opponents and journalists.
