Saakashvili refuses to participate in legal proceedings due to worsening health - lawyer

19:08, 26.07.2023 1 min read

A session of one of the trials against Georgian ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili did not take place at the Tbilisi City Court on Wednesday due to the deterioration of his health, Saakashvili's lawyer Shota Tutberidze told reporters.

Saakashvili refused to participate in the legal proceedings held on Wednesday remotely from his hospital ward, and the court granted the motion, Tutberidze said.

The legal proceedings concern the dispersal of an opposition rally by law enforcement agencies on November 7, 2007, and the attack on the Imedi independent TV company in which more than 300 citizens were injured, he said. The case has been ongoing since 2014. Saakashvili is charged with illegal actions taken with his knowledge.

The case is being retried in court due to the replacement of the judge. "Despite the fact that we don't trust this court, we will participate in the proceedings to establish justice," Tutberidze said.