Tbilisi: Georgia’s jailed opposition leader and ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili denounced on Monday his "politically motivated" prosecution and ill-treatment in prison as he went on trial on abuse of office charges.
It was his first public appearance since he was arrested on October 1 shortly after his return from exile. Georgia’s president from 2004 to 2013, Saakashvili had refused food for 50 days to protest against his prosecution.