Opposition supporters to gather at court in Tbilisi for Saakashvili’s trial hearing

The United National Movement opposition party supporters have plans to gather in front of Tbilisi City Court at 11:00 today for a trial hearing concerning former president Mikheil Saakashvili. 

They expect that the Special Penitentiary Service will take Saakashvili to the court this time.

 
The former president, who suspended his 50-day hunger strike on November 19, also encouraged his supporters to gather at the court. 

He stated that it will be an opportunity for him to address the public. 

Saakashvili’s lawyers have called on the government to allow Saakashvili attend the trial hearing on the November 2007 opposition rally dispersal case despite the planned demonstration at the court. 

Saakashvili was not allowed to attend  previous three trial hearings in cases concerning him because of possible provocations by the opposition activists and his health condition during hunger strike.

The third president of Georgia, who is now a citizen of Ukraine and is holding an official post there, says that he returned after eight  years in political exile to remove the Georgian Dream government from power. 

He was convicted in Georgia in absentia for abuse of power in two separate cases back in 2018 and was sentenced to six years in prison. 

Saakashvili has also been charged with five other offences, including abuse of authority in the November 2007 rally dispersal case, embezzlement, illegal seizure of property and others.