Aleko Elisashvili Arrested After Alleged Arson Attempt at Tbilisi Court
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, December 1, 2025
Opposition leader Aleko Elisashvili was detained in the early hours of November 29 after authorities accused him of trying to set fire to the chancellery of Tbilisi City Court. His lawyer later said the politician admitted to carrying out the act as a form of protest and claimed he had been beaten following his arrest.
The Interior Ministry reported that Elisashvili arrived at the court building before dawn wearing a mask. Officials said he smashed the glass entrance with a hammer, entered the chancellery, poured gasoline on documents, equipment and other items, and attempted to ignite the fuel. Bailiffs confronted Elisashvili during the incident. According to the Ministry, he resisted while carrying a firearm, adding one of the bailiffs was taken to the hospital with injuries.
Police released footage that showed the inside of the building after the incident and included images of Elisashvili in custody with bruising around his eyes.
Defense lawyer Giorgi Rekhviashvili initially suggested that the authorities might have staged a provocation. After meeting Elisashvili, he told reporters that the politician described the action as a protest against what he called an unfair court system. Rekhviashvili said, "He only regrets that he was minutes short of completing the job," adding that Elisashvili chose the weekend because he did not want to risk harming anyone. The lawyer said his client passed along the message, "Fire to oligarchy and fire to unfair judiciary."
Rekhviashvili also stated that Elisashvili had been "brutally beaten" after he was handcuffed. He added that the firearm Elisashvili was carrying remained in its holster and fell to the ground only after the struggle. "He admits entering the court," the lawyer said. "He does not admit beating anyone or threatening them with a gun."
Investigators are examining the case under Criminal Code provisions covering attempted crimes and the destruction or damage of property.
Elisashvili's Citizens party joined the Strong Georgia alliance, led by Lelo for Georgia, ahead of the 2024 parliamentary election. The party stayed in the bloc even as other groups withdrew over disagreements related to participation in the partially boycotted 2025 municipal elections.
In August 2025, the General Prosecutor's Office of Russia declared an international search for Aleko Elisashvili for participating in combat operations on the Ukrainian side in the spring of 2022, shortly after Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine.
