OREANDA-NEWS. Georgian police officers used pepper spray to disperse demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse in Tbilisi, where the trial of former President Mikhail Saakashvili is begin. Scuffles broke out between supporters of the former Georgian leader and law enforcement officers.

The tense situation near the court arose after several demonstrators climbed the fence and the security booth of the court, where they waved flags and posters with the image of Saakashvili. The police asked them to come down, after which an altercation began. The security forces forced the demonstrators out of the adjacent territory and used pepper spray, in response, the protesters threw bottles at them.

Earlier, Saakashvili was taken to court, where they will consider the case of the dispersal of the rally on November 7, 2007 and the destruction of the office of the Imedi TV company. Saakashvili was arrested on October 1, right after he crossed the Georgian border. A number of criminal cases have been initiated against the politician at home. Tbilisi has repeatedly warned the ex-president that he would be arrested immediately after arriving in the country. Saakashvili denies the charges and considers himself a political prisoner.

The politician's condition has deteriorated sharply. Last week, the ex-president was taken by ambulance from the intensive care unit of the prison hospital to the military hospital in Gori, where he must undergo treatment. The Georgian Ministry of Justice decided to transport the politician.