BBC NEWS | Europe | Anti-government clash in Georgia - 0 views
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Site VersionLanguagesPage last updated at 00:22 GMT, Thursday, 7 May 2009 01:22 UK
Anti-government clash in Georgia
AdvertisementAnti-government protesters and police have clashed in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, amid rising national tensions.
Riot police used batons on protesters trying to enter a police compound where three people were being held over the alleged beating of a local journalist.
The clashes were the first major unrest since anti-government demonstrations began in early April.
They come a day after the authorities said they had thwarted an army mutiny at a base outside the capital.
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Later in the evening, opposition leaders and supporters gathered outside parliament for a rally, as they have daily since 9 April.
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On Tuesday, Mr Saakashvili claimed his government had put down a brief mutiny among a tank battalion. Tbilisi had said it was part of a Russian-linked coup attempt to kill Mr Saakashvili. But opposition parties said the alleged mutiny was a deliberate attempt by the government to distract attention from the new phase of anti-government protests.
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