There have been violent clashes between riot police and anti-government protesters in the Georgian capital, Tblisi.

Several hundred opposition supporters blocked a main road and marched on the city’s main police compound, where the security forces had gathered. Officers used batons to force back some who the Interior Ministry said were trying to scale the fence. Television footage showed several people walking away with blood on their faces. The protestors were calling for the release of three activists arrested over the alleged beating of a journalist. This is the first violent confrontations since anti-government demonstrations began in Tblisi early last month. It also comes a day after the Georgian government claimed to have thwarted an army mutiny, and Georgia began military exercises with NATO. The protestors want Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili to resign over his record on democracy and last year’s conflict with Russia.More about: Georgia

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