Officers from the Georgian Interior Ministry fired tear gas at participants in a rally in front of the Tbilisi City Court in support of former President Mikhail Saakashvili whose trial is about to begin, according to a live broadcast on the Mtavari Arkhi TV channel.
Earlier, Saakashvili was brought to the court.
The situation outside the courthouse grew tense after several of the rally’s participants climbed up a fence around the building with the flags of Georgia and Ukraine in their hands and started chanting, "Misha!" Police officers repeatedly asked them to come down but they refused to comply, triggering a clash. Several demonstrators requested medical assistance. Police drove the protestors several meters away from the entrance to the court building’s yard.
