Opposition’s Aleko Elisashvili Arrested for Attempted Arson Attack
Note: the article was amended on November 29, at 16:40, to include the lawyer’s comments after visiting Elisashvili in the detention facility.
Aleko Elisashvili, one of the leaders of the opposition Lelo/Strong Georgia party, was arrested early on November 29 over what authorities describe as an attempt to “set the building of Tbilisi City Court chancellery on fire.” The lawyer later cited Elisashvili as confirming the attempt as “a deliberate protest form,” noting the politician has been “brutally beaten.”
According to the Interior Ministry, at dawn on November 29, Elisashvili, masked, shattered the glass façade of the chancellery building of the Tbilisi City Court with a hammer, penetrated the chancellery building, spilled gasoline around, including on “chancellery items, technical equipment, and documents,” and “attempted to set the building on fire.”
The Ministry said Elisashvili was caught at the scene by bailiffs, whom he “resisted using a firearm he carried and physically assaulted,” yet the officers still managed to detain him. It added that one bailiff was hospitalized “with injuries sustained during the confrontation,” while Elisashvili was also injured.
Footage released by police shows the alleged crime scene, but not the incident itself. It also features Elisashvili, with bruises around both of his eyes, in police custody.
While Giorgi Rekhviashvili, Elisashvili’s defense lawyer, suggested before visiting him in custody that the case may have been prompted by a “provocation” from the authorities, later, after meeting the politician, he cited him as confirming the attempt as a “protest against the unfair judiciary.”
“He only regrets that he was minutes short of completing the job,” Rekhviashvili told the press after visiting Elisashvili, noting that Elisashvili chose Saturday to avoid harming anyone. He also said the detained politician passed the message “Fire to oligarchy and fire to unfair judiciary,” referencing a popular slogan of the ongoing Georgian resistance.
According to the lawyer, Elisashvili was “brutally beaten” by bailiffs after being handcuffed and “no longer presenting a threat.” Rekhviashvili also noted that the detainee carried the firearm in a holster without attempting to use it, and it fell off during an altercation after his detention.
“He admits to the act of entering the court. He doesn’t admit to beating or entering with gun threats,” the lawyer said.
Authorities say the incident is being investigated under Articles 19 and 187 of the Criminal Code, which pertain to an “attempted crime” and “damage or destruction of property.”
Elisashvili’s Citizens party joined the Strong Georgia alliance, led by Lelo for Georgia, ahead of the October 26, 2024, parliamentary election and remained a member even as other parties and members left the coalition, including over the decision to participate in the partially boycotted 2025 municipal vote. Elisashvili also briefly fought against Russian forces in Ukraine shortly after the full-scale invasion in 2022.
His arrest comes amid several opposition leaders remaining behind bars on various criminal charges, including boycotting Georgian Dream’s parliamentary commission, with some facing additional prosecutions and even convictions.
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- 14/08/2025 – Russia Sentences Aleko Elisashvili to Six Years in Prison in Absentia for Fighting in Ukraine
- 06/12/2024 – Opposition Leader Aleko Elisashvili Sentenced to Two Months Pre-Trial Detention
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