Monday, March 9, 2026

Elisashvili to remain in prison as court hears abuse claims

TBILISI, March 9 – A Tbilisi court on Monday kept jailed opposition politician Aleko Elisashvili in custody, rejecting a bid to release him at a pretrial hearing in one of Georgia’s most closely watched criminal cases. The Tbilisi City Court judge decided that Elisashvili would remain in prison. Elisashvili, who heads the Citizens party and … Read more

Georgian opposition alliance joins forces with NGOs

TBILISI, March 7 – Georgia’s newly formed Opposition Alliance moved this week from launch mode into organization mode, holding meetings on protest strategy, non-recognition of the government’s legitimacy, and coordination with civil society groups. The alliance was announced last Sunday, March 2, by a group of opposition parties that said they had agreed on a … Read more

Georgia’s fractured opposition tries again with a new “alliance”

TBILISI, March 4 – A group of Georgian opposition parties announced a new political alliance on Monday, saying they have signed a joint document to coordinate their next steps in the country’s bitter political standoff. One of the alliance’s public faces, Nika Gvaramia, a leader of the Coalition for Change, told reporters after a meeting … Read more

Bacho Akhalaia among defendants as court hears Oct 4 appeals

TBILISI, February 18 – A Tbilisi court on Wednesday continued hearings in a series of high-profile cases linked to the violent events of October 4, 2025, when an anti-government rally clashed with police near the presidential residence in downtown Tbilisi. Among the defendants whose cases are being reviewed is former Minister of Defense Bacho Akhalaia, … Read more

Kavelashvili slams “European bureaucracy” for interference

TBILISI, February 17 – Georgia’s president Mikheil Kavelashvili on Tuesday took a tough line on internal security and what he described as foreign pressure, as he delivered his annual state of the nation address to parliament. In his speech, he criticized what he called interference from “European bureaucracy,” saying that since the start of the … Read more

Opposition media figure Gvaramia released after 8 months

TBILISI, February 12 – Georgian opposition figure and media executive Nika Gvaramia was released from prison on Thursday after serving an eight-month sentence. Gvaramia, one of the leaders of the opposition Coalition for Change and former director of TV companies Rustavi 2 and Mtavari Arkhi, left a prison facility in Rustavi after completing his term, … Read more

Saakashvili says shark selfie post causing more jail time

TBILISI, February 11 – Georgia’s former president Mikheil Saakashvili told a court on Tuesday that he expects his total prison sentence to reach 16 years as prosecutors pursue additional charges in what authorities describe as a case involving crimes against the state. “I expect another three years. I will have 16 years,” Saakashvili said during … Read more

Jailed Georgian actor awaits appeal ruling

TBILISI, February 5 – Georgia’s appeals court on Thursday heard the defense’s closing arguments in the case of Andro Chichinadze, a jailed actor who is also listed in the cast of an upcoming Hollywood action film starring Liam Neeson. Chichinadze is facing trial along with ten other defendants for organized group violence and convicted over … Read more

Tbilisi court hears conflicting testimony in ‘October 4’ trial

TBILISI, February 5 – A Tbilisi court on Thursday heard sharply contrasting accounts of the October 4 rally outside the presidential palace, as prosecutors, defense lawyers and witnesses clashed over what happened. Out of a total of 64 people facing criminal charges over events that day, today’s hearing involved ten defendants, including opposition politicians Paata … Read more