Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has reacted to the sentencing of Aleko Elisashvili, a member of the Lelo – Strong Georgia coalition.
The politician believes that if the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), of which Lelo is a full member, does not demand that the party distance itself from terrorism or expel it from its ranks, the alliance itself will, in his words, become an organization that supports terrorism.
“The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) must either force the Lelo party to distance itself from terrorism, or expel Lelo from its ranks. Otherwise, ALDE itself will become an association that supports terrorism,” the politician wrote on social media.
Notably, the court found opposition politician and one of the leaders of the Lelo – Strong Georgia coalition, Aleko Elisashvili, guilty of attempting to commit a terrorist act. Judge Giorgi Gelashvili sentenced the opposition figure to 13 years in prison.
As a reminder, opposition politician Aleko Elisashvili was accused of attempting to commit a terrorist act. According to investigators, in November 2025, he poured gasoline inside the Tbilisi City Court building, which, according to the prosecution, created a fire hazard and could have led to severe consequences.
On November 30 of the same year, the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia released information and video footage, accusing him of attempting to commit a terrorist act at the Tbilisi City Court.
Elisashvili himself and his defense reject the charges, claiming that the case is politically motivated. The sentence for this offense ranges from 10 to 15 years in prison.