The human rights organization Transparency International Georgia stated that the prosecution is attempting to build a terrorism case against politician Aleko Elisashvili relying exclusively on a service dog from the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ canine unit.
This time, the organization analyzed another ongoing case against the opposition figure, in which he is also accused of setting fire to a courthouse for terrorist purposes.
“However, unlike the first case, where the fact of the attempted arson by Aleko Elisashvili is not in question, in this instance the prosecution cannot prove not only the presence of terrorist intent, but even the commission of the alleged act—the arson—by Aleko Elisashvili himself,” the statement reads.
Furthermore, Transparency asserts that the prosecution lacks the body of mutually consistent, clear, and convincing evidence necessary for a conviction to such an extent that “even amid the multitude of other politically motivated cases fabricated under the Ivanishvili regime, this case stands out for the exceptional flimsiness of the prosecution’s position and the glaring scarcity of the evidentiary base.”
The publication notes that virtually the only piece of evidence relied upon by the prosecution is the findings of an odorological examination (scent trace analysis). According to investigators, this conclusion confirms that a service dog from the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ canine unit matched scent samples collected from the crime scene with Elisashvili’s scent samples.
The organization asserts that even this single piece of evidence raises serious doubts regarding its legality and reliability.
According to Transparency International, the prosecution failed to present a body of mutually consistent, clear, and convincing evidence that would prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it was indeed Elisashvili who set fire to the Tbilisi City Court on May 4, 2025.
According to the authors:
- Witnesses do not confirm the commission of the crime by Elisashvili: “It is indisputable that none of the witnesses questioned in the case, including the court bailiffs (mandaturi), can confirm that Aleko Elisashvili set fire to the Tbilisi City Court building on May 4, 2025. They unanimously state that they do not know who committed the crime. Consequently, there are no eyewitnesses in this case;”
- Video footage is unsuitable for identifying Elisashvili, and parts of it were obtained unlawfully;
- The biological forensics report has still not been presented;
- “Operational information,” its anonymous source, and the police report constitute inadmissible evidence;
- The odorological examination report is the sole piece of prosecution evidence, yet it is inadmissible and unreliable;
- The prosecution has presented no evidence whatsoever pointing to a terrorist intent.
Human rights defenders point out that under Council of Europe criteria, Elisashvili qualifies as a political prisoner under this charge as well.
