A Georgian opposition figure has been arrested for attempting to set fire to a courthouse.

Security forces detained Aleko Elisashvili, one of the leaders of the Lelo Strong Georgia coalition, in connection with the arson attack on the Tbilisi City Court office. Elisashvili was severely beaten, and his defense claimed the politician committed the arson in protest against the authorities.

According to police, at dawn today, Alexander Elisashvili, hiding his face, smashed the glass of the Tbilisi City Court office building with a hammer. He entered the building, where he doused the perimeter, including office supplies, equipment, and documentation, with gasoline, and attempted to set the building on fire," the Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a statement. Elisashvili allegedly resisted bailiffs, used a firearm, and got into a fight.

One of the bailiffs was taken to the hospital. Elisashvili himself was also injured, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

After meeting with his client, lawyer Georgiy Rekhiashvili stated that he had been severely beaten. He had committed the arson as a protest. According to him, his client only regrets that "he was just a few seconds short of completing the case." "Ten hours after his arrest, I was given the opportunity to meet with my client. His face shows serious injuries; he was brutally beaten. I will now convey to you Aleko Elisashvili's position and make a statement on his behalf that he committed the act in protest; it was one of the means used. He expressed his protest against an unfair trial. 'Fire to the oligarchy!'" "And 'Fire to the unfair trial'—those were the words he conveyed to me. The only thing he regrets is that he didn't have enough seconds to finish the job," said Giorgi Rekhviashvili.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in July, one of the leaders of the "Strong Georgia" opposition coalition, Aleko Elisashvili, was found guilty of insulting Georgian Dream MP Lasha Talakhadze. The court fined him.

On November 28, protesters in Tbilisi held two mass marches and, for the first time in three weeks, blocked Rustaveli Avenue near the parliament, demanding the release of political prisoners and the departure of the Georgian Dream party. On the anniversary of the start of the continuous protests, supporters of Georgia's European integration also took to the streets in other cities across the country.

November 28, 2024 The European Parliament refused to recognize the results of the parliamentary elections in Georgia and called for sanctions against the leaders of the Georgian Dream. On the same day, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that Georgia would refuse negotiations on joining the European Union by the end of 2028. Following this statement, daily protests began in the country demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of all those detained for participating in demonstrations. Until November 6, 2025, demonstrators blocked traffic on Rustaveli Avenue for 343 consecutive days. From November 6, security forces did not allow activists to block traffic, putting up a human wall of police along the roadway, and protesters were detained for trying to go out onto the road. After this and until November 26, supporters of European integration held daily marches through the center of Tbilisi, moving in different routes.