Imprisoned opposition politician Aleko Elisashvili is facing a new criminal charge of “contempt of court” after a prosecutor accused him of “insulting” a police officer who was testifying as a witness in court. The offence, defined under Article 366 of Georgia’s Criminal Code, carries a fine, community service or up to one year in prison.
According to local media reports citing his lawyer, Giorgi Rekhviashvili, the new case against Elisashvili, brought by Prosecutor Ani Khubejashvili, stems from a remark the politician made during a court hearing, when he reportedly called police officer Shota Chipashvili a “scoundrel.”
The lawyer claimed that the officer had violated Elisashvili’s rights during his arrest, alleging that he had applied the handcuffs too tightly and verbally assaulted the politician. Elisashvili’s remark reportedly followed a verbal exchange between the two during a June 15 court proceeding, when Chipashvili was testifying as a witness.
The latest charge marks the fourth criminal case against Elisashvili, who is serving a 13-year sentence after being found guilty on July 10 of “attempted terrorism” over his efforts to set fire to the Tbilisi City Court chancellery in November 2025.
Elisashvili admitted carrying out the act but denied the “attempted terrorism” charge. His lawyers and supporters argued that his actions did not amount to terrorism and were an expression of political protest. Notably, when Elisashvili was arrested at the scene in November, he was initially charged with “attempted damage or destruction of property” before the charge was reclassified as “attempted terrorism,” a more serious offense.
While he was in pre-trial detention, prosecutors brought another case against him, accusing him of “terrorism” over an alleged arson attack on the Tbilisi City Court archive in May 2025, months before the November incident. Elisashvili and his lawyers rejected the new terrorism accusation.
The politician also faces a charge stemming from a December 2024 incident involving Ali Babaev, a member of the ruling Georgian Dream party. Prosecutors accuse Elisashvili of “persecuting” Babaev “in connection with political activity” following a confrontation between the two on a Tbilisi street.
Elisashvili’s Citizens party joined the Strong Georgia alliance, led by Lelo, ahead of the October 26, 2024, parliamentary elections and has remained part of the coalition even after other parties left, including over Lelo’s decision to participate in the partially boycotted 2025 municipal elections.
Elisashvili also briefly fought against Russian forces in Ukraine shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
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