Another 14 Defendants Released After Plea Deals in October 4 Unrest Cases
By Messenger Staff
Thursday, June 11, 2026
Another 14 defendants charged in connection with the October 4, 2025 unrest were released on June 10 after the Tbilisi City Court approved plea agreements reached with prosecutors. Their release brings the total number of defendants freed under similar deals to 22.
Twenty-one defendants have now walked free from courtrooms after spending months in pretrial detention. One other defendant had been released son bail in December.
The first group released on June 10 included Aleksandre Khabeishvili, Beka Kelekhsashvili, Giorgi Muladze, Mamuka Labuchidze, Guriel Kardava, Temur Kurtsikidze, Vakhtang Pitskhelauri, and Avtandil Surmanidze. The first seven were charged with participation in group violence and attempted seizure of a facility of strategic or special importance. Surmanidze faced only the group violence charge.
Later in the day, the court approved plea agreements for Sergo Megrelishvili, Giorgi Rurua, Giorgi Korkia, Lasha Ivanadze, Levan Jikia, and Khvicha Gogokhia. All six had been charged with participation in group violence and attempted seizure of a facility of strategic or special importance.
The defendants were arrested in the weeks following the October 4 events and remained in custody until their release.
The latest releases follow similar decisions a day earlier, when eight defendants were freed after reaching plea agreements with prosecutors. One of them, Eva Shashiashvili, had already been released on bail in December because of health concerns.
Prosecutors said the defendants admitted guilt and expressed remorse, both required conditions for reaching a plea agreement. Under the deals, they received suspended sentences of three years.
No additional plea agreements are currently under consideration. However, prosecutors have repeatedly stated that other defendants could qualify for similar arrangements if they admit guilt, show remorse, and formally request a plea bargain.
The agreements reflect what appears to be a shift from the approach seen in earlier opposition protest-related cases. In those proceedings, defendants generally rejected cooperation with prosecutors and refused to plead guilty. Critics of the government have also pointed to low public confidence in the courts and prosecution service, citing a previous case in which prosecutors declined plea agreements after defendants had reportedly already admitted guilt.
The unrest broke out on October 4, 2025, during partially boycotted municipal elections. After a rally calling for a "peaceful revolution," a group of protesters attempted to enter the presidential palace but were pushed back by police.
Authorities later charged up to 60 people, including rally organizers, in connection with the events. Most were placed in pretrial detention. Georgian Dream officials have described the incident as an attempted coup backed by foreign actors.
The first prison sentences in the case were handed down on May 7. Ten people received multi-year terms, including 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.
