TBILISI, December 9 – Georgia’s parliament speaker and jailed opposition figure Aleko Elisashvili have entered a fierce public feud over the meaning of the word “terrorist”.
Elisashvili, a former independent MP who recently aligned with the Lelo–Strong Georgia coalition for local elections, was arrested after a dramatic pre-dawn protest at Tbilisi City Court on 29 November. Investigators claim that he arrived at around 04:00 wearing a mask, armed with a firearm and ammunition, smashed a window with a hammer, entered a restricted area, poured flammable liquid on equipment and documents, and attempted to start a fire. He is charged with attempted terrorist act under an article of the Criminal Code which may lead to 10 to 15 years in prison.
He rejects the terrorism label and the authorities’ characterization but does not deny that he staged a protest at the courthouse. From a high security prison outside Tbilisi, he has complained through his lawyer about damaged facilities and a ban on phone calls and family visits. Georgia’s public defender, Levan Ioseliani, visited him and other inmates in Prison No. 6 on 4 December to assess conditions and rehabilitation programs.
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) leadership has responded with some of its toughest rhetoric. Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili insists Elisashvili is a terrorist, claims he confessed, and argues that refusing to distance from him amounts to “inadequate distancing from terrorism.” He points to Lelo’s membership in the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and cites an EU directive that bans justification or ideological support for terrorism.
On 3–4 December Papuashvili warned that unless Elisashvili is formally expelled, Lelo, Strong Georgia, the Citizens party and ALDE will from Monday be treated as political forces that shelter a terrorist.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said both domestic and “external political forces” are defending “not only extremists, but a direct terrorist,” adding that this reinforces the government’s case at the Constitutional Court, where a bid to ban Lelo is already filed. Tbilisi mayor and ruling party secretary Kakha Kaladze said Elisashvili’s act is “something a healthy person cannot do.” Other GD MPs went further, accusing Western liberals and NGOs of encouraging violent protest movements in Georgia.
The opposition has pushed back just as forcefully. Lelo leaders emphasize that Elisashvili chairs his own party, Citizens, and is not and has never been their member, nor is Citizens affiliated with ALDE. They describe his action as an individual, self sacrificing protest and accuse Georgian Dream of trying to “collectivize” guilt and smear a pro European opposition coalition.
Some opposition figures also draw parallels between Elisashvili’s attempted arson and an alleged chemical agents incident against protesters in December 2024, citing a BBC documentary and arguing that the government’s handling of demonstrations amounted to terrorism against its own population.
In a letter from prison published on 8 December, Elisashvili said he has always chosen his own forms of protest and has never belonged to Lelo or ALDE, making any talk of expulsion meaningless. Instead, he urged Georgian Dream to distance itself from what he called an ignorant and rights violating parliament speaker.
