Aleko Elisashvili

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Aleko Elisashvili
ალეკო ელისაშვილი
Elisashvili portrait.jpg
Elisashvili in 2024
Chairman of Citizens
Incumbent
Assumed office
August 4, 2020

Aleksandre (Aleko) Elisashvili (born 17 January 1978) is a Georgian politician who served in the Parliament of Georgia from 2020 to 2024.

Contents

Elisashvili started his political career as an activist within a civic preservation group. He was an independent member of the Tbilisi City Assembly until 2017, when he was an independent candidate in the Tbilisi Mayoral Elections. He took second place with 69,803 votes (17.4%). [2] In 2020, he founded the "Aleko Elisashvili – Citizens" party. [3]

In 2022, responding to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he volunteered for the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine. [4]

On 15 April 2024, during the 2023–2024 Georgian protests, he punched the parliamentary majority leader Mamuka Mdinaradze during a parliamentary session about a 'foreign agents' bill which was opposed by opposition parties and the European Union. [5] [6]

Biography

Arson attempt

On 29 November 2025, Elisashvili was arrested on suspicion of attempting an arson attack on the Tbilisi City Court chancellery building. According to Georgia's Interior Ministry, Elisashvili, masked and armed with a firearm, forcibly entered the building at dawn by breaking a window with a hammer. He allegedly poured gasoline over office equipment, documents, and furniture before attempting to ignite them. Court bailiffs intervened, and Elisashvili reportedly resisted arrest in a physical altercation during which a bailiff sustained injuries and Elisashvili's handgun fell to the ground without discharging. Police seized a gasoline canister, lighter, and the weapon as evidence. Custody footage later showed Elisashvili with facial bruising, which his lawyer attributed to post-arrest police brutality, an allegation authorities have not publicly addressed. [8] [9]

Through his attorney, Elisashvili acknowledged responsibility for the act, characterizing it as a deliberate protest against what he termed an "unfair judiciary" and "oligarchy." He expressed regret only that he had been "minutes short" of completing the arson, and stated he had timed the incident for early Saturday morning to minimize risk to human life. His lawyer relayed Elisashvili's message: "Fire to oligarchy and fire to unfair judiciary."

Prosecutors escalated charges to attempted terrorism under Georgian law, which carries a penalty of 10 to 15 years imprisonment. [10] At a pre-trial detention hearing on December 1, 2025, Elisashvili delivered an emotional courtroom statement in which he explained his actions as a response to what he described as systemic injustice and state repression, declaring, "I wanted to set fire to injustice and repression." He emphasized that he had no intention to harm individuals and praised the bailiff who stopped him for his bravery. Becoming visibly emotional, he told the court, "Judge, these are not tears, this is anger and bitterness. Don't think I am weak." He also addressed his political colleagues, denying any financial motives and urging them to continue their struggle, and defiantly responded "Warn as much as you like" after receiving a formal judicial warning. The court ordered pre-trial detention. [11]

References

  1. ↑ "ალექსანდრე ელისაშვილი". Parliament of Georgia . Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  2. ↑ "კახა კალაძემ თბილისის მერის არჩევნებში გაიმარჯვა". imedinews.ge. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  3. ↑ "The Central Election Commission has summed up the 31 October 2020 Parliamentary Elections of Georgia". CEC. 3 December 2020. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  4. ↑ "Georgian MP Says Joins Fight in Ukraine". Civil Georgia. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  5. ↑ "Aleko Elisashvili physically confronted the leader of the parliamentary majority, Mamuka Mdinaradze". 15 April 2024.
  6. ↑ https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/hundreds-georgians-protest-parliament-set-advance-foreign-agent-bill-2024-04-15/
  7. ↑ "ალეკო ელისაშვილმა ახალი პოლიტიკური პარტია "მოქალაქეები" წარადგინა". 4 August 2020.
  8. ↑ "Georgian opposition figure arrested over alleged arson attempt at Tbilisi court". AP News. 30 November 2025. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  9. ↑ "Opposition's Aleko Elisashvili Arrested for Attempted Arson Attack". Civil Georgia. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
  10. ↑ "Lawyer: Aleko Elisashvili charged with terrorism". 1TV. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
  11. ↑ Today, Georgia (1 December 2025). "Aleko Elisashvili: I wanted to set fire to injustice and repression". Georgia Today. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
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