Tbilisi City Court handed down five-year prison sentences to eight defendants in Georgia’s October 4 case on June 22, 2026, while six others in the same trial group walked out of the courtroom on suspended sentences after admitting guilt. The split is becoming the pattern of the case: deny the charges and serve time, plead and go home.
The June 22 ruling is the latest in a string of judgments that began in early May and has reshaped the case’s logic for the dozens of defendants still waiting in pretrial detention. By the end of the day, 25 people had been found guilty and 28 had been released under plea agreements, with several dozen more yet to be tried.
Eight Sentenced, Six Walk Free at Tbilisi City Court
Tbilisi City Court Judge Romeo Tkeshelashvili read the rulings on June 22, 2026, in proceedings that ended with shouting in the courtroom. The eight convicted are Zurab Chavchanidze, Amiran Dolishvili, Vladimer Gvelesiani, Aleksandre Chilachava, Genadi Kupreishvili, Sulkhan Tughushi, Ramaz Mamuladze, and Anton Vardanidze. Each was found guilty of ‘participating in group violence’ and ‘attempting to seize a strategically important facility.’
The six who left the courtroom the same day are Giorgi Korkia, Giorgi Rurua, Khvicha Gogokhia, Levan Jikia, Lasha Ivanadze, and Sergo Megrelishvili. They had reached plea agreements with prosecutors earlier in the process. None of the eight newly convicted had entered such a deal before the hearing. Per the eight new convictions and six plea releases, the courtroom shouting came from defendants and their supporters as the verdict was read.
The pattern matches the May verdicts in the case: ten convicted in one batch, seven more on June 19, eight more on June 22, all five-year prison sentences, all against defendants who denied the charges. The 8-and-6 split is the second such ruling in three days, after seven received five-year terms on June 19.
- 8 defendants sentenced to 5 years in prison
- 6 defendants released on 3-year suspended sentences
- Judge: Romeo Tkeshelashvili at Tbilisi City Court
- Date: June 22, 2026
The Plea Deal’s Quiet Bargain
Civil Georgia reports that plea agreements in the October 4 case have followed defendants admitting to the charges and expressing remorse, with those agreements resulting in three-year suspended sentences. Under such deals, 14 people were released on June 10 and eight on June 9, both before formal verdicts were issued. The pattern sharpens the question facing every remaining defendant in the case: plead, admit, and walk; or deny and serve.
In the same trial group tried alongside the eight newly sentenced, the seven prior five-year sentences came after the defendants allegedly refused to admit the charges. Civil Georgia’s June 22 dispatch confirms the same arithmetic on its own ruling. Those who entered plea agreements left the courtroom that day; the others are now starting five-year terms. The court is, in effect, offering a one-time choice to every defendant in the case.
October 4, 2025: The Day Behind the Charges
The case arises from unrest on October 4, 2025, the day Georgia held partially boycotted municipal elections, when tens of thousands of protesters gathered in central Tbilisi. A group of protesters, following a call from organisers of a ‘peaceful revolution‘ rally, attempted to occupy the presidential palace in downtown Tbilisi and was repelled by police.
Per the May verdicts against rally organisers, the ruling Georgian Dream party quickly framed the breach as a foreign-orchestrated coup attempt, a framing critics including Transparency International Georgia dispute. JAMnews adds that protesters entered the palace grounds before officers dispersed them. On the eve of 4 October and the days that followed, Transparency International Georgia counted 66 people detained, adding to many arrested during earlier waves of demonstrations. Investigators later opened proceedings against 64 individuals and divided the case into several separate episodes.
The case has drawn international attention. Five opposition leaders were charged with a coup attempt in the days after the protest, and the 500-day report on Georgia’s crackdown documented Georgian Dream’s ‘coordinated repression system’ against protesters over more than 500 days. The U.S. defense bill now before Congress includes amendments that would require Pentagon reports on Georgia’s political prisoners and Russian-Chinese spy penetration by late 2026. The case has drawn international scrutiny at every verdict, with critics calling the process political.
Who the Eight Are
The eight defendants sentenced on June 22 range in age from 21 to 56. The oldest, Zurab Chavchanidze, 56, is known by the nickname ‘Batumi Standard-bearer.’ The youngest, Amiran Dolishvili, is 21.
The rest are in their early forties: Vladimer Gvelesiani, 43; Aleksandre Chilachava, 44; Genadi Kupreishvili, 44; Sulkhan Tughushi, 41; Ramaz Mamuladze, 44. Anton Vardanidze’s age was not listed in court filings reported on June 22. All eight faced identical charges: ‘participating in group violence’ and ‘attempting to seize a strategically important facility.’
At the hearing, Chavchanidze said he did not plead guilty to the charges and told the court he had approached the prosecutor’s office requesting a plea agreement, but his request was denied. Judge Tkeshelashvili told him the plea stage had already been completed and that those who wished to enter plea agreements had already done so.
The other six defendants in the trial group, those who had entered plea agreements, walked out of the courtroom the same day. The case continues to pressure the remaining defendants to choose between admission and prison.
| Name | Age | Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Zurab Chavchanidze | 56 | Group violence, seize strategic facility |
| Amiran Dolishvili | 21 | Group violence, seize strategic facility |
| Vladimer Gvelesiani | 43 | Group violence, seize strategic facility |
| Aleksandre Chilachava | 44 | Group violence, seize strategic facility |
| Genadi Kupreishvili | 44 | Group violence, seize strategic facility |
| Sulkhan Tughushi | 41 | Group violence, seize strategic facility |
| Ramaz Mamuladze | 44 | Group violence, seize strategic facility |
| Anton Vardanidze | not listed | Group violence, seize strategic facility |
The Wider Case: 64 Defendants, Two Tracks
The June 22 ruling brings the running total in the case to 25 convicted and 28 released under plea agreements, per Civil Georgia. JAMnews puts the total number of people against whom criminal proceedings were opened at 64. The remaining defendants are still in pretrial detention or have not yet had their cases heard.
The case is unfolding in distinct clusters of rulings. Plea deals have been the more common exit: 14 defendants were released on June 10, eight on June 9, and 22 in total across the case so far, per JAMnews. On the trial side, ten people, including rally organisers, were convicted in early May, and seven more received five-year terms on June 19, the day before the eight new convictions. May 7 saw opera singer Paata Burchuladze sentenced to seven years as a ‘key figure in the protest,’ per OC Media; Burchuladze, 71, called the case an ‘obituary.’ The court, on June 22, told Chavchanidze the plea stage had already been completed when he asked to enter one.
The June 22 ruling drew fresh protests inside the courthouse. Chavchanidze’s plea request and the courtroom reaction were both captured in a local report on the hearing, which recorded Judge Tkeshelashvili reading the verdict to shouts of ‘This will come back to you like a boomerang, Russians!’ from the gallery. Defendants and supporters have framed the prosecutions as political, and the court as delivering rulings ordered by the ruling party.
Defence Pushes Back
Defence lawyer Beka Basilaia has called the October 4 trial process politically directed from the start. In comments reported by OC Media, he said the early verdicts were ‘a completely unsubstantiated and unlawful decision.’
this was a completely unsubstantiated and unlawful decision, and the court delivered what the authorities had ordered
Transparency International Georgia, in a published analysis of the case, said the prosecution lacked evidence of ‘incitement to violence or armed action’ and of ‘a pre-planned, coordinated, and violent group action.’ The international pressure has extended beyond statements: the Council of Europe has pressed Tbilisi to revise its protest laws, per the call to revise Georgia’s protest laws. The case has drawn international attention to the broader crackdown on dissent in Georgia, now in its 500th day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the October 4 case in Georgia?
The October 4 case refers to criminal proceedings against dozens of people arrested in connection with protests on October 4, 2025, the day of partially boycotted municipal elections in Georgia. A group of protesters attempted to occupy the presidential palace in central Tbilisi, breaching the fence before riot police pushed them back. Up to 60 people, including protest organisers, were charged in connection with the events.
Why were six defendants freed and eight jailed on June 22, 2026?
Tbilisi City Court Judge Romeo Tkeshelashvili ruled on June 22, 2026 that six defendants who had entered plea agreements with prosecutors would receive three-year suspended sentences and be released from the courtroom. The other eight, who had not entered such agreements, were convicted of ‘participating in group violence’ and ‘attempting to seize a strategically important facility’ and sentenced to five years in prison.
How many people have been convicted in the October 4 case overall?
Civil Georgia reported on June 22, 2026 that 25 people have been found guilty in the case and 28 have been released under plea agreements. JAMnews puts the total number of people against whom criminal proceedings were opened at 64.
Who is Judge Romeo Tkeshelashvili?
Judge Romeo Tkeshelashvili is a Tbilisi City Court judge who has delivered multiple verdicts in the October 4 case, including the May 7 first-trial sentences against rally organisers and the June 22 ruling that jailed eight more defendants. He also fined an RFE/RL journalist in 2026 for what the journalist said was sitting down too soon in his courtroom.
What charges do October 4 case defendants face?
Defendants face charges of ‘participating in group violence’ and ‘attempting to seize a strategically important facility,’ referring to the presidential palace in Tbilisi. Organisers and protest leaders face additional charges including organising and leading group violence and calling for the overthrow of the government.
