Aleko Elisashvili has been sentenced to 13 years for terrorism.
Judge of the Tbilisi City Court Georgy Gelashvili sentenced one of the leaders of the opposition coalition "Lelo-Strong Georgia" Alexander (Aleko) Elisashvili to 13 years in prison, recognizing his attempt to set fire to the court's office as a terrorist act.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on January 13, the court upheld the preventive measure for one of the leaders of "Lelo - Strong Georgia" Alexander (Aleko) Elisashvili, accused of terrorism due to the attempt to set fire to the court office.
On November 29, 2025, law enforcement detained Elisashvili in connection with the attempt to set fire to the Tbilisi City Court office. Elisashvili was charged under Article 19-323 of the Criminal Code of Georgia (attempted terrorism, up to 15 years in prison). He was taken into custody. During the court hearing on January 13, Elisashvili emphasized that after his detention, he became a victim of inhumane treatment: he was kept for several hours in tightly tight handcuffs behind his back, causing him to bleed and resulting in wounds on his hands, the traces of which remained after a month and a half. No one among the police officers involved has been held accountable, the lawyers stated on January 14.
The Tbilisi City Court today issued a verdict against the opposition politician, one of the leaders of the coalition "Lelo-Strong Georgia" Aleko Elisashvili. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
The verdict was preceded by an emotional scene in the courtroom. During his final statement, Elisashvili said that for him, the most important thing is "for his father and children to be proud of him," after which he made obscene remarks about Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Vice Prime Minister Mamuka Mdinaradze. The judge removed the politician from the courtroom, reported the Pirveli TV channel.
As he was leaving, Elisashvili continued to shout remarks, including: "Long live Ukraine and Georgia!" as well as obscene words directed at Russia. The audience greeted his words with applause. After that, the judge closed the session and ordered the courtroom to be vacated.
Elisashvili's supporters call his criminal case a political reprisal against one of the most prominent critics of the government. The authorities reject these accusations and insist that it is a serious crime against the state.
Aleko Elisashvili's wife Irina Kilosanidze stated to journalists after the court proceedings that the 13-year prison term handed down to her husband was predetermined. According to her, the verdict was issued eight months ago when the parliamentary speaker Papuashvili accused Elisashvili of a terrorist act.
Elisashvili does not deny the fact of arson but rejected the accusation of terrorism. His defense stated that Elisashvili committed the arson as a protest against the actions of the authorities. "He committed the act in protest; it was one of the means. He expressed his protest against the unjust court. "Fire to the oligarchy!" and "Fire to the unjust court" - these are the words he conveyed to me; the only thing he regrets is that he did not have a few more seconds to finish what he started," the lawyer said after the politician's detention.
"Of course, we expected this. Alexander also told us through his lawyers: "Don't worry, the sentence will be the harshest." He anticipated that he would be sentenced to 12-13 years, and his expectations were justified. This sentence was issued eight months ago when Papuashvili first stated that Alexander Elisashvili committed a terrorist act. At that time, he was effectively convicted, and the rest of the time we observed the circus that was staged in this building," said Irina Kilosanidze.
According to the wife of the convicted politician, her husband is calm and optimistic, and his lawyers will appeal the verdict in all instances.
The Secretary General of the "Lelo - Strong Georgia" movement Irakli Kupradze also reacted to the verdict against his comrade. "My friend and a man who loves his country immensely, Aleko Elisashvili, was sentenced to 13 years by the court of Ivanishvili based on a fabricated charge that is only needed for propaganda. Aleko will not be broken and will soon be free!" wrote Kupradze on his Facebook page.
Member of the "Strong Georgia" party Tamaz Datunashvili described today's verdict as a classic and outrageously dirty example of political justice. According to the politician, the court merely confirmed the position previously established by government representatives.
"The court did not discuss the specific crime, the question of its existence or non-existence, but rather the execution of Papuashvili's preliminary statement and the declaration of Aleko Elisashvili as a terrorist over the past few months. Today, the so-called Prime Minister also confirmed that this is political justice," commented Datunashvili on the verdict.
The 13-year sentence for Aleko Elisashvili, even under the current regime, is unimaginably illegal and cruel, believes one of the leaders of the "Strong Georgia" movement Salome Samadashvili.
"It is completely clear that his sentence serves only the purpose of revenge and intimidation and has nothing to do with the administration of justice. If someone previously avoided calling Elisashvili a political prisoner, the illegality and cruelty of the sentence have given his status full legitimacy," the politician stated.
In turn, the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia Shalva Papuashvili demanded that the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) exclude the opposition party "Lelo" from its ranks after the Tbilisi City Court issued a verdict against Elisashvili in the case of the attempted terrorist act, reports Newsgeorgia.
ALDE is one of the largest liberal political platforms in Europe, which actively collaborates with Georgian opposition forces. It includes "Lelo" ("Caucasian Knot" is ready to provide the name of the organization upon request), the Republican Party, "Strategy Agmashenebeli", "Girchi - More Freedom" and "Droa". ALDE regularly criticizes the policies of the "Georgian Dream" government.
"ALDE must either require the "Lelo" party to publicly distance itself from terrorism or exclude it from its ranks," wrote Papuashvili on his Facebook page.
"Caucasian Knot" also reported that on July 6, the Tbilisi City Court sentenced former Minister of Defense of Georgia Bacho Akhalaia to 2.5 years in prison for a statement about the need to overthrow the government of Ivanishvili.