A new criminal case has been opened against Bacho Akhalaia.

A new criminal case has been opened against former Georgian Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia. He is accused of calling for the overthrow of the government due to his appearance in court on another criminal case.

As "Caucasian Knot" reported, at the end of December 2025, former Georgian Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia, arrested on charges of organizing violence at a protest, stated that he gave testimony under pressure from security forces, who threatened to arrest his wife.

The former minister is accused of making a statement at a closed court hearing in another case brought against him (organizing a "peaceful overthrow of the government" on October 4, 2025). Only lawyers, prosecutors, and the court were allowed to attend that hearing. At one of the trials, Akhalaia stated: "I believe that [Bidzina] Ivanishvili must be overthrown by all possible means... If force is required, he must be overthrown by force, and together with Ivanishvili, we must overthrow Russian tentacles, as far as this is possible on the scale of Georgia. This is the only way out, this is the only way to end this hell in which Russia has kept us for over two hundred years. We will overthrow Ivanishvili, we will definitely overthrow him," he said, according to an audio recording shared by Bacho Akhalaia's wife, Ana Nadareishvili, on March 8 on Facebook*. According to her explanation, it was a "forbidden opening statement."

The former high-ranking official believes that final victory will be achieved through "just revenge."

"Propaganda affects not only you and me. It is primarily the person who perpetrates it who believes it. Did you know that Gaddafi was ultimately convinced that he was an amazing genius? Did you know that Ceausescu believed that some people truly loved him like a father? If anyone compares dictators to each other, you should know the history of dictators. No one started with murder. Not even the Ayatollah. That's what happens in the end, when propaganda itself convinces them that we are disgusting here, and they must defend their lives from us," Bacho Akhalaia said in court.

The Criminal Code of Georgia considers such a statement as: "a public call for violent change." "...violation of the constitutional order of Georgia or the overthrow of state power, or the dissemination of materials containing such a call." The penalty is imprisonment for up to three years—the sentence is determined by a judge, the TV channel emphasizes.

As a reminder, on October 4, the day of municipal elections, thousands of people gathered in central Tbilisi. After opera singer Paata Burchaladze declared that power in Georgia belongs to the people, clashes between protesters and security forces erupted near the presidential palace. Security forces used riot gear, while protesters used firecrackers. Six demonstrators and 21 security forces were hospitalized, and another 30 people received medical treatment 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 presidential palace.

Among those detained are five protest leaders: opera singer Paata Burchuladze (who was escorted by security forces from a clinic where he was taken by ambulance after the rally), 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. They 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 refused to plead guilty.

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 were elected mayor 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, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Municipal Elections in Georgia on October 4, 2025".

The "Caucasian Knot" has compiled materials about the recent municipal elections and protests by opposition supporters on the thematic page "Georgia: Post-Election Protests".