Salome Zurabishvili, the fifth president of Georgia, has commented on the sentencing of Aleko Elisashvili, a member of the “Lelo – Strong Georgia” coalition.
According to the politician, the punishment handed down to the opposition figure has nothing to do with justice. Zurabishvili noted that she does not know “what kind of scenario was played out around Elisashvili,” but is certain that the 13-year sentence is unrelated to the principles of fair justice.
“I do not know what kind of scenario was played out around Elisashvili. But I know one thing for sure: these 13 years have nothing to do with justice. Everyone involved in passing such sentences, everyone who today disgraces the very concept of justice and the judicial system, will one day be held accountable. Everyone will regret their cowardice. They are committing a great sin, they know it, but they continue anyway,” the politician wrote.
Notably, the court found the opposition politician and one of the leaders of the “Lelo – Strong Georgia” coalition, Aleko Elisashvili, guilty in a case concerning an attempted terrorist attack. Judge Giorgi Gelashvili sentenced the opposition figure to 13 years in prison.
As a reminder, the opposition politician Aleko Elisashvili was accused of attempting to commit a terrorist act. According to investigators, in November 2025, he spilled 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 last 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 team reject the charges, claiming that the case is politically motivated. The sentence for this offense ranges from 10 to 15 years in prison.
