Fresh criminal charges have been announced in Tbilisi against Mikheil Saakashvili, the former president of Georgia.
The Prosecutor-General's Office in Tbilisi announced on August 5 that Saakashvili had been charged with organizing an assault in 2005 against one of his political opponents, Georgian lawmaker Valeri Gelashvili.
On July 28, Saakashvili was charged with abuse of office.
Those charges stem from a crackdown on antigovernment protests in Tbilisi in November 2007 and the "seizure" of the private Imedi television station.
The Tbilisi City Court on August 1 ordered Saakashvili's pretrial detention in absentia.
Saakashvili, who led Georgia from 2004 to 2013, left the country in late 2013 after his second presidential term expired.
He denies any wrongdoing.
The United States and the European Union have expressed concerns that the charges filed against Saakashvili may be politically motivated.
Based on reporting by apsny.ge and Interfax
