You're reading: Opposition rally demanding Saakashvili’s release being held outside prison in Rustavi

TBILISI – Opposition supporters in Georgia are holding a protest demanding the release of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili near the prison in Rustavi.

People are holding state flags of Georgia, chanting, “Misha, Misha.” The number of protesters is increasing, and many of them have come to Rustavi by car.

“Mikheil Saakashvili did not come to Georgia to be extradited to Ukraine. He came to fight the anti-people regime. He will be free very soon. Thousands of people will take to the streets, demanding his release,” Pyotr Tsiskarishvili, a protester and one of the leaders of the opposition party United National Movement, which is unofficially led by Saakashvili, told reporters.

There are police along the perimeter of the prison. There have been no incidents.