A Tbilisi court has remanded the defendants in the "October 4" case in custody.

The Tbilisi City Court remanded in custody ten people accused of organizing unrest in Tbilisi during a protest on the day of the municipal elections on October 4.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot", on October 4, the day of the municipal elections, thousands of people gathered in the center of Tbilisi. After opera singer Paata Burchaladze declared that power in Georgia belongs to the people, clashes between protesters and security forces began near the presidential palace. Security forces used riot gear, and protesters used firecrackers. Six demonstrators and 21 security forces were hospitalized, and another 30 people received medical assistance on the spot. Police have opened a criminal case in connection with calls to overthrow the government, an attack on police officers, and the storming of the palace. Five protest leaders—opera singer Paata Burchuladze, Secretary General of the Strategy Agmashenebeli party Paata Manjgaladze, former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces Colonel Lasha Beridze, and United National Movement activists Murtaz Zodelava and Irakli Nadiradze—have been arrested on charges of organizing group violence, calling for the overthrow of the government, and attempting to seize the presidential palace. They face up to nine years in prison; all five have refused to plead guilty.

Judge Irakli Shvangiradze stated that although investigative measures in the case have already been completed and "the risk of pressure on witnesses and destruction of evidence has been somewhat reduced," the risk that the accused will abscond remains. According to him, there are no new circumstances in the case that could lead to a change in the pretrial detention measure, Newsgeorgia reported today.

Among the defendants are members of the organizing committee for the October 4th protest: opera singer Paata Burchuladze, United National Movement members Murtaz Zodelava and Irakli Nadiradze, Strategy Agmashenebeli party representative Paata Manjgaladze, and former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces Lasha Beridze.

Along with them are activists Irakli Chkhvirkia, Guri Zhvania, Nika Gventsadze, Tornike Mchedlishvili, as well as Irakli Shaishmelashvili, the former head of the Operational Planning Department of the Special Assignments Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, who is currently abroad. The latter was arrested in absentia, the publication clarifies.

Furthermore, Shvangiradze rejected the defense's motion to question Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Public Defender Levan Ioseliani in the case. Paata Manjgaladze expressed his position on the Public Defender's questioning, as Ioseliani himself stated his readiness to petition the court for an opinion regarding Manjgaladze, Interpressnews reports.

"I believe the Public Defender's participation in this case is necessary; he expressed a desire to come and testify," Manjgaladze said.

The storming of the Georgian presidential residence during the October 4 protest was a provocation, and responsibility for those events lies with the authorities. One of the rally's organizers, opera singer Paata Burchuladze, founder of the public platform "Rustaveli Avenue," stated this at the court hearing, according to Pirveli TV.

"The Georgian people's plan was to hold a peaceful rally on Atoneli Street, attended by both assembly delegates and, most likely, law enforcement officers. Afterward, many people would demand the handover of the keys to the presidential palace, which undoubtedly would have occurred peacefully if not for the provocation orchestrated by Georgian Dream against the Georgian people," Burchuladze said during the court hearing.

In his opinion, the October 4 rally was overall a success, as "hundreds of thousands of people" gathered on Rustaveli Avenue before the "provocations" began, thereby formalizing the "absolute collapse of the dictatorship." Burchuladze believes that the case in which he is implicated is intended to "denigrate" the peaceful protest by opponents of the Georgian Dream.

"In reality, we saw that we have many patriots, sincere people. Unfortunately, we also have plenty of traitors," Burchuladze said. He added that he cannot now "speak about what exactly happened, since after the arrest I have been cut off from the outside world and deprived of full information."

The attempt to seize the presidential palace was doomed to failure and gave the current government a new opportunity to pressure the opposition. Analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" indicated that a peaceful change of power remains only if the opposition overcomes its disunity.

Municipal elections were held in all municipalities of Georgia on October 4. Candidates from the ruling Georgian Dream party were elected mayors in all 64 cities where elections were held, receiving 100% of the vote in 26 of them. These elections will determine the political balance in Georgia for the coming years. The next major elections in the country are scheduled for 2028, making the current vote a crucial one for both the government and the opposition, according to the Caucasian Knot report "Municipal Elections in Georgia on October 4, 2025".

Caucasian Knot is posting materials about the recent municipal elections and protests by opposition supporters on the thematic page "Georgia: Elections Amid Protests".