Tbilisi City Court Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili has upheld the prosecutor's office's request and sentenced Aleksandre Elisashvili, a leader of the Strong Georgia coalition, to pre-trial detention as a preventive measure. The politician's allies claim the decision is unlawful and politically motivated.
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Aleksandre Elisashvili was arrested two days ago and charged with political persecution, a crime punishable by up to three years in prison. According to the prosecutor's office, an investigation by the Ministry of Internal Affairs established that on December 2, near Kostava Street in Tbilisi, Elisashvili verbally and physically assaulted Ali Babaev, the chairman of the Azerbaijani National Congress and a co-founder of the Georgian Dream party, on political grounds.
Elisashvili has pleaded not guilty, stating that he has not "seen Ali Babaev with his own eyes" for 10 years, does not even remember his name, and "had no idea" which party he belonged to.
According to his lawyer, Giorgi Rekhviashvili, the evidence presented by the prosecution in court implicates Ali Babaev rather than Elisashvili. It reportedly shows that Elisashvili acted in self-defense during the incident. "Babaev took an iron rod and rushed at Elisashvili to hit him," Rekhviashvili claimed.
After the hearing, the lawyer stated that the authorities are seeking revenge against Elisashvili and are using his case as an example to intimidate others.
"Mdinaradze did not forgive that slap, and Russia did not forgive his fight against it in Ukraine," Rekhviashvili remarked.
Elisashvili was forcibly detained by about 15 police officers on December 4 as he left the Courtyard Marriott Hotel following a meeting with opposition leaders. He is not the only opposition politician detained amid the ongoing protests. Nika Gvaramia, the leader of the Coalition for Change, is currently under administrative detention, with the court sentencing him to 12 days in prison.
A pre-trial hearing in Elisashvili's case is scheduled for January 23.
