15 Defendants in October 4 Trials to Conclude Plea Deals with Prosecutors, Seeking Suspended Sentence
Over a dozen defendants charged in connection with the October 4, 2025, election-day unrest are entering plea agreements in two separate proceedings, expected to result in suspended sentences and their immediate release from prison, with deals yet to be approved by courts.
Fourteen out of fifteen defendants who are set to conclude a deal have been in pretrial custody, while one more has been released on bail. They had been charged with participation in group violence and/or attempted seizure of strategic buildings.
The first group, seven of the twelve defendants in the consolidated proceedings, reportedly accepted plea agreements with prosecutors during the June 2 hearing, with prosecutors announcing that they pleaded guilty. They are expected to receive three-year suspended sentences, allowing them to walk free if the court approves the deal.
The defendants include Aleksandre Khabeishvili, Beka Kelekhsashvili, Giorgi Muladze, Mamuka Labuchidze, Guriel Kardava, Avtandil Surmanidze, and Temur Kurtsikidze. All of them had been sent to pre-trial detention.
The remaining five defendants in the same group — Vakhtang Pitskhelauri, Abo Naveriani, Anton Uperi, Nana Sanderi, and Mariam Mekantsishvili — continue to contest the charges, making them ineligible for a similar deal. Mekantsishvili has been released on bail, while Uperi has been charged in absentia.
“At this stage, seven of the twelve defendants admit and regret the acts with which they have been charged,” prosecutor Lasha Tskvitaria told the media on June 2. “The prosecution expressed its readiness and consent to conclude plea agreements with them.”
Another round of plea deals was reported after a June 5 hearing involving a group of 15 defendants, eight of whom reportedly pleaded guilty and agreed to plea bargains that would also result in three-year suspended sentences, pending court approval. The eight defendants include Aleksandre Gogoladze, Sulkhan Abralava, Gocha Katashvili, Davit Ghurtskaia, Jandri Tirkia, Ramaz Jorbenadze, and Genadi Kelikhashvili, who are expected to be released from custody following court approval of the agreements, as well as Eva Shashiashvili, who had already been released on bail on New Year’s Eve over health concerns.
“During today’s court hearing, eight defendants fully admitted the charges brought against them, pleaded guilty, and also accepted the evidence as indisputable,” prosecutor Roin Khintibidze told reporters following the hearing. He said the criminal case against the eight defendants had been separated from the broader proceedings for the purpose of concluding plea agreements.
Plea agreements are not being offered at this stage to seven other defendants in the case, including Giorgi Chakhunashvili, Ia Darakhvelidze, Zakro Albutashvili, Davit Zhghenti, Konstantine Kokaia, Kakhaber Mzhavanadze and Davit Sturua, who, according to the prosecutor, do not admit the charges against them. Khintibidze added that prosecutors remain open to negotiating plea agreements with other defendants who acknowledge the charges and admit guilt.
“If they change their position, genuinely admit the charges, and acknowledge guilt in relation to the entire indictment, namely participation in group violence and the attempted seizure of the presidential residence, then, of course, despite their refusal today, we are prepared to consider the issue of a plea agreement with them as well,” he noted.
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. Critics of the government have also pointed to a lack of trust in the judiciary and prosecutors to honor such agreements, citing a previous case in which prosecutors rejected a plea deal after defendants had pleaded guilty.
It also follows a campaign to secure the release of those imprisoned in such trials through possible pardons, with Georgian Dream officials indicating that such a possibility would be considered only if the detainees pleaded guilty and expressed remorse.
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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