Another 14 defendants charged in connection with the October 4, 2025, tensions were released on June 10 after the Tbilisi City Court approved their plea agreements with prosecutors, bringing the number of those who entered similar deals in election-day unrest trials to 22. Twenty-one of them walked free from courtrooms after months in pre-trial custody, while another had been released on bail in December.
The first group of eight defendants released earlier in the day included Aleksandre Khabeishvili, Beka Kelekhsashvili, Giorgi Muladze, Mamuka Labuchidze, Guriel Kardava, Temur Kurtsikidze, and Vakhtang Pitskhelauri, all of whom were charged with participation in group violence and attempted seizure of a facility of strategic or special importance, as well as Avtandil Surmanidze, who was charged only with participation in group violence.
A second group of six defendants — Sergo Megrelishvili, Giorgi Rurua, Giorgi Korkia, Lasha Ivanadze, Levan Jikia, and Khvicha Gogokhia — who were likewise charged with participation in group violence and attempted seizure of a facility of strategic or special importance, were released later in the afternoon.
All 14 defendants were arrested in the weeks following the unrest and had remained in pretrial detention until their release.
Their release comes a day after the first eight defendants in the case were freed following similar plea agreements. One of those defendants, Eva Shashiashvili, had already been released on bail seven months earlier due to health concerns.
According to the prosecutors, the defendants admitted guilt, expressed remorse — a precondition for a plea bargain – and received three-year suspended sentences.
While no additional plea agreements are currently in progress, prosecutors have repeatedly stated that remaining defendants may qualify for similar deals if they admit guilt, demonstrate genuine remorse, and formally apply for a plea agreement.
The agreements come amid what appears to be a gradual shift from the more uncompromising approach seen in earlier opposition protest-related cases, where defendants largely refused to admit guilt or otherwise cooperate with authorities. Government critics have also cited a lack of trust in the judiciary and prosecution service, pointing to a previous case in which prosecutors rejected plea agreements after defendants had reportedly already pleaded guilty.
October 4 Unrest and Trials
Unrest erupted on October 4, 2025, the day of the partially boycotted municipal elections, after a group of protesters, following a call from organizers of a “peaceful revolution” rally, attempted to occupy the presidential palace in Tbilisi and were repelled by police. Up to 60 people, including rally organizers, were subsequently charged in connection with the events, with most placed in pretrial detention. Georgian Dream officials have described the events as a foreign-orchestrated coup attempt.
The court handed down the first multi-year prison sentences against a group of ten people, including politicians and activists, on May 7. Those convicted included opera singer and activist Paata Burchuladze, United National Movement members Murtaz Zodelava and Irakli Nadiradze, retired Colonel Lasha Beridze, and Strategy Aghmashenebeli member Paata Manjgaladze.
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