Georgia frees opposition leader Melia after court ruling

Nika Melia’s release is seen as a significant step in an EU-backed plan to help end a prolonged political crisis.

Jailed Georgian opposition leader Nika Melia has been freed from prison after a court ordered his release on bail – a significant step in a European Union-backed plan to help end a prolonged political crisis. Speaking to supporters and journalists gathered outside the court in the capital, Tbilisi, Melia said on Monday he would consult his party about his next political steps, after domestic media reported that the court had ordered his release from pre-trial detention. Georgia, a south Caucasian republic with ambitions to join NATO and other Western organisations, has faced political turmoil since a parliamentary election last November, which the ruling Georgian Dream party won but the opposition called unfair.