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 ran for vice mayor last year jointly with the party Lelo, is charged with attempted terrorism act.
The latest hearing focused on the pretrial stage of the case. During the session, Elisashvili again used the courtroom to raise complaints about how he was treated after his arrest. According to Interpressnews, he told the court that he had spent four hours handcuffed behind his back, that his hands were badly injured, and that blood was coming from his wrists. He also questioned whether justice exists in the country.
Elisashvili was arrested on November 29, 2025. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he tried to set fire to the chancery building of Tbilisi City Court in the early morning hours after breaking glass with a hammer and entering the building. The ministry said he poured gasoline inside the premises and resisted court bailiffs with a firearm when they caught him at the scene. One bailiff was hospitalized, while Elisashvili also sustained injuries during the confrontation, according to the ministry.
The case escalated a day later, when Elisashvili’s lawyer said prosecutors had reclassified the charges and were now accusing him of attempted terrorism, an offense that, according to the lawyer, carries a sentence of 10 to 15 years in prison.
Elisashvili’s side has rejected that legal qualification from the start. His lawyer has said the politician admits the act itself but does not accept that it amounts to terrorism. The defense has described it as a form of protest against what Elisashvili calls an unjust court system. Earlier statements by his lawyer also said Elisashvili claimed he chose a Saturday morning so that no one would be harmed.
The court had already ordered pretrial detention for Elisashvili on December 1, 2025, and left him in custody again on January 13, 2026. Monday’s decision means he will stay behind bars as the case moves forward.
