Opposition politician Elene Khoshtaria, leader of Droa party and a member of the Coalition for Change, has been sentenced to one year and six months in prison in connection with an inscription she made on an election campaign banner belonging to Kakha Kaladze of Georgian Dream.
The decision was announced by Judge Giorgi Arevadze.
Khoshtaria was arrested on September 15, 2025. She was charged with damaging another person’s property (Article 187 of the Criminal Code). The case concerns an inscription reading “Russian Dream,” which she wrote with a marker on Kaladze’s campaign banner. According to the prosecution, the damage caused to the banner amounted to 570 GEL.
The court imposed bail of 5,000 GEL as a preventive measure. However, Khoshtaria refused to pay the bail and chose to remain in detention as a form of protest.
In March 2026, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the immediate release of Khoshtaria and other political prisoners. The document emphasizes that the charges against her are politically motivated and aimed at restricting freedom of expression. In her recent letters, Khoshtaria has categorically rejected any negotiations regarding her release, considering them a deal with the regime.
Khoshtaria wrote the inscription on the banner in solidarity with 23-year-old student Megi Diasamidze. Diasamidze is being prosecuted under criminal law for damaging Kaladze’s banner and is currently released on bail of 2,000 GEL since October 28.
Another Georgian Opposition Leader, Elene Khoshtaria, Arrested Over Protest Act
