Aleksandre (Aleko) elisashvili, a georgian opposition politician, faces new terrorism charges following a previous jail sentence for attempting to set fire to the Tbilisi City Court in November 2025. The Prosecutor General’s Office alleges that on May 4, 2025, elisashvili, disguised and equipped with materials for a terrorist act, approached the court archive. He reportedly threw a burning substance into the archive room, initiating a fire that spread to the building’s facade and adjacent rooms, damaging stored case files.
The fire was extinguished by firefighters. The office claims elisashvili deliberately caused significant material damage, aiming to destabilize the judiciary and destroy court infrastructure, endangering three court employees. Surveillance footage purportedly shows elisashvili setting the fire.
He is charged with committing a terrorist act, punishable by up to 15 years in prison, and also faces terrorism charges related to the November attempted fire. Elisashvili’s lawyers dispute the charges, accusing investigators of fabricating a case, noting the initial failure to secure a terrorism classification in the November incident. They point to a delayed shift in the accusation, alleging the investigation initially focused on property damage before elevating the charge to terrorism.
The lawyers presented expert reports questioning the identification value of the surveillance footage. Following his detention, elisashvili reported mistreatment, citing prolonged handcuffing and bleeding. His contact with the outside world is restricted.
Prior to the May 2025 charges, elisashvili was jailed in December 2024 for an alleged assault on a Georgian Dream member and had previously reported police brutality during protests. The case is being used by the ruling party to criticize the EU. The georgian politician remains jailed.
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Georgian opposition figure Elisashvili is confronting fresh terrorism accusations.