On December 22, the court hearing for former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was suspended due to tension in the courtroom after Saakashvili began to speak in Ukrainian.
Judge Giorgi Arevadze demanded that he switch to Georgian, local publication 'News-Georgia' reports.
Saakashvili participated in the court hearing via video link from the hospital. He switched to the Ukrainian language on the grounds that he is currently a citizen of Ukraine only.
'Mr. Mikheil, maintain order and speak in Georgian,' Arevadze reacted to this.
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Due to the noise in the courtroom, the judge announced a break in the hearing. According to media reports, the hearing will soon resume. A representative of the Ukrainian consulate present at the hearing will provide translation into Georgian if necessary.
During the hearing, the judge also rejected Saakashvili's lawyer's proposal to 'lift his shirt' so that those present could see how much weight he has lost, comparing the ex-president's condition to that of Ukrainian defenders coming out of Russian captivity.
The judge responded that if Saakashvili 'starts undressing', he will be removed from the process.
President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the Georgian authorities to transfer Mikheil Saakashvili for treatment abroad.
The head of the 'Georgian Dream' then stated that Saakashvili's arrival in his homeland was a 'special operation' by Ukraine to drag Tbilisi into the war.
In response, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that Kyiv had never interfered and does not plan to interfere in Georgia's internal affairs. However, it expressed disappointment that the Georgian authorities 'are speculating on the issue of the war in Ukraine' to 'achieve their narrow domestic political goals.'