Opposition leader Khoshtaria sentenced over election banner incident

Elene Khoshtaria, a senior member of the opposition group Coalition for Change, has been sentenced to one year and six months in prison for damaging an election banner belonging to Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze.

Khoshtaria, who has already spent six months in detention, was not present at the sentencing, in line with her absence from previous court hearings. She is expected to leave the penitentiary in approximately one year.

The incident occurred on 14 September 2025, when Khoshtaria wrote the words “Russian Dream” on a banner outside Kaladze’s campaign office. She uploaded a video of the act on social media, saying that the gesture was in solidarity with Megi Diasamidze, who had been arrested for a similar incident.

Khoshtaria was detained the following day, on 15 September, and charged under the Criminal Code. She had previously been offered a bail of 5,000 GEL, which she refused, remaining in custody until the verdict.