Alek Elisashvili, an opposition politician in Georgia, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after being found guilty of terrorism for attempting to set fire to a court building in the capital last year, reported Interpress, according to Reuters.
The court determined that Elisashvili, founder of the Citizens party, broke into the Tbilisi Municipal Court’s chancery in November 2025 by smashing a window with a hammer. He then poured gasoline inside and attempted to ignite the building. Elisashvili, who pleaded not guilty, claimed he was protesting against government repression of the opposition.
Once regarded as one of the most democratic and pro-Western states to emerge after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Georgia has become increasingly authoritarian since the onset of the war in Ukraine, critics of the government have stated.
Several opposition politicians are currently imprisoned, and Elisashvili’s party is part of a political alliance that the ruling party, Georgian Dream, seeks to ban. The authorities accuse the opposition of attempting to incite violent coups. Simultaneously, Georgia’s relations with the European Union, which the country aspires to join, have worsened amid concerns over democratic backsliding.
It was not immediately clear whether Elisashvili would appeal the sentence.
In his final statement before the court, he defended his actions, stating, “I wanted to spit in the face of this government, to show them that they cannot oppress us,” according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Georgian service.
