The Prosecutor General’s Office of Georgia has emphasized that the convicted former Georgian Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia was charged not with making public calls to overthrow the founder of “Georgian Dream,” Bidzina Ivanishvili, but with calling for the overthrow of state power and the violent change of Georgia’s constitutional order.
The agency labeled the narrative being spread by opponents of the government as disinformation.
“We once again clarify to the public that, according to the indictment against Bachana Akhalaia, during a preliminary hearing in the Tbilisi City Court on February 16, 2026, in the criminal case against him, the accused stated in his speech:
“This government must be overthrown as quickly and brutally as possible. By any method and by any means. This is the only way, and each of us—me, you, and any other person—has a legal right to do this, and the most conscientious among us have a duty to carry this out.”
Consequently, his actions—calling for the overthrow of state power and the violent change of Georgia’s constitutional order—were classified under Article 317 of the Criminal Code of Georgia. This article carries a penalty of one to three years of imprisonment.
Based on the foregoing, on July 6, 2026, the Tbilisi City Court found Bachana Akhalaia guilty and sentenced him to two years and six months in prison,” the prosecutor’s office emphasized.