Eight Defendants Freed After Court Approves Plea Deals in October 4 Unrest Case
Eight defendants charged in connection with the October 4, 2025, local election day unrest reached plea agreements, with seven of them walking free from Tbilisi City Court, which approved the deals, on June 9, while the eighth, Eva Shashiashvili, had already been released on bail seven months earlier due to health-related concerns.
The seven defendants include Aleksandre Gogoladze, Gocha Katashvili, Sulkhan Abralava, Ramaz Jorbenadze, Jandri Tirkia, Genadi Kelikhashvili, and Davit Ghurtskaia. They, as well as Shashiashvili, were charged with participating in group violence and attempting to seize a facility of strategic or special importance, and faced up to seven years in prison.
All admitted guilt and stated they regret their actions, which became the basis for reaching plea agreements with the prosecution. The agreements resulted in their release and three-year suspended sentences.
Their case was initially part of a broader proceeding involving 15 defendants. The remaining seven defendants in that case – Giorgi Chakhunashvili, Ia Darakhvelidze, Zakro Albutashvili, Davit Zhghenti, Konstantine Kokaia, Kakhaber Mzhavanadze and Davit Sturua – have not been offered plea deals yet, as they do not admit the charges against them.
“The eight defendants admitted to committing the crime, expressed remorse, and submitted applications to us. As we promised, plea agreements were concluded with all of them,” Prosecutor Roin Khintibadze said. “Each of the eight was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, which was suspended subject to a three-year probation period. As for the other defendants, if any of them wish to admit the crime they committed, genuinely repent, and submit an application to us, they still have the opportunity to do so before the verdict is delivered.”
The first plea bargains in the election day unrest cases emerged during a June 2 hearing involving a separate group of twelve defendants. Prosecutors announced that seven of them had admitted guilt and agreed to plea deals. If approved by the court, the agreements would result in three-year suspended sentences, allowing the defendants to be released from prison.
The defendants are Aleksandre Khabeishvili, Beka Kelekhsashvili, Giorgi Muladze, Mamuka Labuchidze, Guriel Kardava, Avtandil Surmanidze, and Temur Kurtsikidze. All have been held in pre-trial detention. The remaining five defendants in the same case – Vakhtang Pitskhelauri, Abo Naveriani, Anton Uperi, Nana Sanderi and Mariam Mekantsishvili – continue to deny the charges.
The use of plea bargains expanded further on June 8, when six additional defendants charged in connection with the election day unrest agreed to enter negotiations with prosecutors. The defendants – Sergo Megrelishvili, Giorgi Rurua, Giorgi Korkia, Lasha Ivanadze, Levan Jikia, and Khvicha Gogokhia – had faced charges of participating in group violence and/or attempting to seize strategic buildings.
The deals come amid what appears to be a gradual shift away from the more uncompromising approach seen in earlier opposition protest-related trials, where defendants refused to admit guilt, a prerequisite for plea bargains, or cooperate with authorities in any other way. Government critics have also pointed to a lack of trust in the judiciary and prosecution service, citing a previous case in which prosecutors rejected a plea agreement after defendants had already pleaded guilty.
October 4 Unrest and Trials
Unrest erupted on October 4, 2025, the day of the partially boycotted municipal elections, after a group of protesters, following a call from organizers of a “peaceful revolution” rally, attempted to occupy the presidential palace in Tbilisi and were repelled by police. Up to 60 people, including rally organizers, were subsequently charged in connection with the events, with most placed in pretrial detention. Georgian Dream officials have described the events as a foreign-orchestrated coup attempt.
The court handed down the first multi-year prison sentences against a group of ten people, including politicians and activists, on May 7. Those convicted included opera singer and activist Paata Burchuladze, United National Movement members Murtaz Zodelava and Irakli Nadiradze, retired Colonel Lasha Beridze, and Strategy Aghmashenebeli member Paata Manjgaladze.
Also Read:
- 08/05/2026 – Girchi – More Freedom’s Gela Khasaia to Leave Prison in September After Plea Deal
- 20/10/2025 – October 4 Continues to Haunt Georgia as Questions Persist
- 19/10/2025 – 14 More Sent to Pre-Trial Detention Over October 4 Events, One Released on Bail
- 16/09/2025 – Georgia Anticipates October 4 Rally Amid Rising Tensions, Discontent
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