Opposition politician Aleko Elisashvili states that the charges brought against him are politically motivated.

As Elisashvili declared at the court hearing, there is not a single piece of evidence in the case that corroborates the charges laid against him.

“If I had done it, I would say I did it. I cannot confess to something simply because it would delight Papuashvili and Kobakhidze. They had an unsolved case on their hands that they had failed to crack for ten months. For ten months, it had been proceeding as a property damage case. Then, owing to the staggering unprofessionalism of the investigators on the one hand, and political orders on the other, they reclassified the unsolved property damage case as terrorism, carrying a fifteen-year sentence, and presented it against me. The evidence is nonexistent. Somewhere on a street, they found a dog, and that dog is apparently pointing the finger at me. The second piece of evidence consists of video footage, from which one is supposedly meant to deduce that it is me. The Samkharauli forensic bureau’s expert report states that it is impossible to identify or establish the identity of any individual from that footage,” declared Elisashvili.

For reference, Alexander Elisashvili was initially charged by the Prosecution under Part 1 of Article 19-323 of the Criminal Code of Georgia. According to the Prosecution, on November 29, at approximately 04:00, Alexander Elisashvili, masked and armed with a firearm, ammunition and items necessary for carrying out a terrorist act, arrived at the building of the Tbilisi City Court, smashed the glass of the outer façade of the court’s registry building using a hammer, and forced his way into the interior of the court premises. According to the same source, after unlawfully entering the building, Elisashvili poured a large amount of flammable substance over various parts of the interior, including items and documents on site, and then attempted to ignite a fire. The Prosecution states that while pouring the flammable substance, Elisashvili was intercepted by officers of the court’s bailiff service. Upon catching sight of one of the bailiffs, Elisashvili allegedly attacked and began to assault him.

On March 30, the Prosecution of Georgia brought charges against Alexander Elisashvili in connection with “a second episode of a terrorist act committed on May 4, 2025.” According to the investigation, in accordance with a pre-conceived plan, Alexander Elisashvili, masked and equipped with items necessary for carrying out a terrorist act, arrived on May 4, 2025, at approximately 03:44 at the rear of the Tbilisi City Court building at 64 Aghmashenebeli Avenue, Tbilisi, where the court’s archive is located.

According to the Prosecution, the accused first climbed a ventilation pipe and tried to open a window, but was unsuccessful. He then descended the steps and, using a vent opening, poured a flammable substance containing petroleum products into the archive room, igniting a fire inside. He subsequently returned to a window adjacent to a second archive room and, having climbed the ventilation pipe, set fire to the window and to cables. As a result of Elisashvili’s actions, fires broke out on the outer façade of the court building and in the archive, where hundreds of criminal, civil and administrative case files were stored.

According to the investigation, through these actions Elisashvili caused significant material damage to the City Court, intending to destabilise one branch of government, the judiciary, by destroying the court’s infrastructure, individual case files and other important materials; he also endangered the health and lives of three officers of the bailiff service who were present in the court building at the time.

Alexander Elisashvili has been charged under Part 1 of Article 323 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which provides for a custodial sentence of up to fifteen years.