Georgian ex-defense minister sentenced over calls to overthrow government

A court in Georgia has sentenced former Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia to two and a half years in prison for publicly calling for the violent overthrow of the country's constitutional order, local media reported.

According to Interpressnews, the maximum sentence for the offense is three years. Akhalaia was not present when the court announced the verdict.

The former official was detained in late December 2025 in connection with an alleged attack on the Georgian presidential administration that took place in October of the same year. Although he did not personally participate in the protest, the State Security Service claimed he maintained close phone contact with the organizers and coordinated their actions.

During a court hearing on February 16, Akhalaia said that Bidzina Ivanishvili, the chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, and his government should be removed from power. Prosecutors subsequently charged him with publicly calling for the overthrow of the constitutional order.

His lawyers argued that Ivanishvili holds no official state position and that Akhalaia's remarks therefore could not be interpreted as a call to overthrow the government or alter the constitutional order.