A Tbilisi court remanded in custody those accused in the storming of the presidential palace.

The Tbilisi City Court remanded in custody eleven 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.

Today, the Tbilisi City Court began hearing the case of those accused of organizing unrest in Tbilisi during the protest on the day of the October 4 municipal elections. The court watched seven hours of video footage presented by the prosecution, Pirveli TV reports.

According to the lawyers, the videos do not contain any evidence of violence on the part of any of the defendants.

"Today we witnessed another series of cases of political Justice. The prosecutor's office reviewed seven hours of video footage, and my client Alexander Khabeishvili is not present at all. I would also like to emphasize that the video footage does not actually show any criminal acts or violence on the part of the accused. This is primarily because they lack evidence, because these people simply did not commit a crime, and their prosecution is politically motivated," said lawyer Dimitri Sadzaglishvili. Ten people are accused of attempting to seize and blockade strategic and special facilities by a group. They are also charged with participating in group violence. Nana Sander, in addition to organizing group violence, is charged with calling for violent change of the constitutional order of Georgia and the overthrow of the government, which carries a prison sentence of up to nine years. In total, more than 60 people have been detained in the "October 4" case; their case is divided into five parts. Tomorrow, the city court will hold a hearing for 14 more defendants, where evidence will be reviewed. Human rights activists may petition for the release of some of the defendants, as their health has seriously deteriorated and their stay in the penitentiary is dangerous, the television station reports.

Immediately after the opening of the hearing, Nana Sander asked to speak and spoke about the harsh treatment in prison, as well as her health, which she attributes to chemical poisoning during the protests in November and December.

According to her lawyers, they were previously unaware of Nana Sander's health status, as they discussed her defense strategy in prison, and Nana, they claim, was reluctant to discuss her health with them. They will receive evidence regarding her health, which will allow her lawyers to file a motion to reconsider her pretrial detention at the next hearing, Netgazeti reported today.

The attempt to seize the presidential palace was doomed to failure and gave the current government a new opportunity to pressure the opposition. The only chance for a peaceful change of power remains if the opposition overcomes its disunity, analysts interviewed by the Caucasian Knot noted.

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, so the current vote is essentially a key 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 past municipal elections and protests by opposition supporters on the thematic page "Georgia: Elections Amid Protests".