Opposition politician Aleko Elisashvili has been sentenced to 13 years in prison in Georgia for attempting to commit a terrorist act. The sentence was handed down by Judge Giorgi Gelashvili during a closed-door hearing at the capital's court.

Aleko Elisashvili, a leader of the "Lelo – Strong Georgia" coalition, was detained on November 29, 2025. According to Georgian investigators, earlier that morning, he entered the Tbilisi City Court building wearing a mask and poured gasoline; however, he was detained by law enforcement officers at the scene before he could set the fire.

The Georgian Prosecutor's Office also brought additional charges against Elisashvili. The agency claims that on May 4, 2025, he attempted to set fire to the archive of a Georgian court of first instance—a facility reportedly housing materials related to participants in the pro-European protests that have been ongoing in Georgia for over 500 days.

In his final statement during the trial, Elisashvili said his actions were driven by pent-up protest and dissatisfaction with the policies of the "Georgian Dream" government. The coalition to which Elisashvili belongs expressed support for their colleague, labeling him a "political prisoner of Bidzina Ivanishvili" and describing the verdict as an "unjust and politically motivated decision that has nothing to do with justice."

Aleko Elisashvili is a Georgian politician and a member of the 10th convocation of the Georgian Parliament. He gained widespread notoriety in 2024 when he punched Mamuka Mdinaradze—then the leader of the parliamentary majority—in the face during a session regarding the "foreign agents" bill. In the spring of 2022, Elisashvili traveled to Ukraine as a volunteer and fought on its side as part of an international legion; for this, he was sentenced in absentia in Russia to six years in prison.