Georgian police break up protest

Georgian police break up protest
Police in Georgia have broken up an opposition protest outside parliament in the capital, Tbilisi.
They forcibly unblocked the main road where protesters have been calling for the resignation of President Mikhail Saakashvili for the past five days.

The opposition said one of its leaders was arrested in the raid and that a number of people were beaten.

The protesters accuse the pro-Western president of authoritarianism and corruption - charges he denies.

The police moved in early in the morning when only a few hundred demonstrators were present on Rustaveli Avenue in the centre of the city.


A government official said the protesters could continue their rally on the pavement, but added that it was time to open the street again.

Opposition supporters have been gathering at the site every day since Friday, when 50,000 people rallied in the largest street protest since the 2003 "Rose Revolution" that brought Mr Saakashvili to power.

The protesters accuse President Saakashvili of corruption and of not doing enough to tackle poverty.

They are calling for the president's resignation and want a fresh election.

Many of the protesters are supporting the president's former ally, Irakli Okruashvili, who was arrested last month.

Mr Okruashvili was detained shortly after he said Mr Saakashvili had plotted to kill a top businessman. He was later released on a multimillion-dollar bail and went to Germany.

The government says Mr Okruashvili's accusations are "false and baseless".