Aleko Elisashvili: I do not plead guilty, I did not engage in political persecution—No one even knows who Ali Babaev is - I had no intention of hitting him until he chased me with an iron rod and nearly cracked my head open
"This is nonsense from start to finish. I did not engage in any political persecution. No one even knows who Ali Babaev is. I have never heard of his political background," said Aleko Elisashvili, one of the leaders of "Strong Georgia," during his court hearing.
He made this statement in response to a question from Judge Mikheil Jinijolia, asking whether he pleaded guilty.
Elisashvili argued that the charges were misqualified.
"They claim that as an opposition representative, I was chasing a ‘Georgian Dream’ member down the street. The charge is incorrect, and I do not plead guilty in any way.
The qualification is wrong—he was the one chasing me with an iron rod. Of course, I'm no saint, but I had no intention of hitting him. Beating him wouldn't have added anything to my reputation. I was just walking, and he started insulting me. Ali Babaev and his friend, some Iranian guy, were cursing at me in the middle of Kostava Street—was I supposed to just bow my head? I didn't. I had no intention of hitting him until he came at me with an iron rod and nearly cracked my head open. It’s ridiculous that we are even discussing this. Apparently, I ‘politically persecuted’ someone that no one on Earth even knows about politically—not even himself, probably, until ‘Georgian Dream’ told him afterward," Elisashvili stated.
The defense requested to introduce new evidence in the case. Specifically, the lawyers stated that they had submitted a request to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to launch an investigation against Ali Babaev, alleging that he attempted to murder Elisashvili with an iron rod. The defense requested this complaint to be included in the case, but the judge denied the motion.
For context, Aleko Elisashvili has been charged under Article 156, Part 2, Subparagraph “a” of the Georgian Criminal Code (persecution of a person due to their political activities, committed with violence), which carries a sentence of up to three years in prison.
Elisashvili has been released on bail for 4,000 GEL.
The incident occurred on December 2. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Aleko Elisashvili verbally and physically assaulted Ali Babaev, chairman of the Azerbaijani National Congress and one of the founders of the “Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia” party, based on political motives near Kostava Street in Tbilisi.
