Opposition leader Elisashvili faces politically motivated charges, lawyer

The lawyer for imprisoned Georgian opposition politician Aleko Elisashvili on Tuesday claimed his client is facing politically motivated prosecution after being charged for a fourth time, this time over allegedly insulting a police officer during court proceedings.

Speaking to reporters, lawyer Giorgi Rekhviashvili said the court would decide the date of the next preliminary hearing in the case, which concerns alleged contempt of court through the insult of a witness.

According to prosecutors, Elisashvili called police officer Shota Chipashvili "not a man" while the officer was testifying in a separate criminal case.

Rekhviashvili argued that Chipashvili should instead be under investigation, alleging that the officer had subjected Elisashvili to cruel and inhuman treatment following his arrest.

"This is political persecution against Elisashvili," the lawyer said, accusing prosecutors and the court system of pursuing the case for political reasons.

The defence said it had only recently received the case materials and had not yet reviewed them in full but understood that the investigation had been launched following a request by the prosecutor handling the trial.

During an earlier court hearing, Elisashvili alleged that Chipashvili verbally abused him after his arrest, refused to loosen his handcuffs despite repeated requests and denied him drinking water for an extended period. The police officer rejected those allegations while giving evidence.

The latest indictment is the fourth criminal case brought against Elisashvili, who is currently serving a 13-year prison sentence after being convicted in July of attempting to carry out a terrorist act at an auxiliary building of Tbilisi City Court in November 2025.