The number of defendants in the Tbilisi riots case has risen to 62.

The prosecutor's office has charged 16 more people, whom security forces believe participated in the unrest in Tbilisi on the day of the municipal elections. The total number of defendants in the case of the storming of the presidential palace has reached 62.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," by October 10, the number of people detained in connection with the violence at the protest in Tbilisi had risen to 46. By October 11, all 46 detainees had been remanded in custody, two of whom (71-year-old professor and academician, pediatrician Giorgi Chakhunashvili and musician Ia Darakhvelidze) were released on bail.

Police have detained 16 more alleged participants in the unrest that occurred on October 4, Interior Minister Geka Geladze announced on October 17. This brings the total number of detainees to 62, according to Novosti-Gruzia.

The Georgian Prosecutor's Office has charged these 16 individuals with attempted seizure of the presidential palace, organizing group violence, and participating in it. According to the department's statement, the prosecutor's office will request bail only for Mariam Mekantsishvili, while the others will be remanded in custody, Interpressnews reported today.

Along with Mekantsishvili, the accused include Irakli Shaishmelashvili, former head of the Operational Planning Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Special Assignments Department, as well as Yuri Lomidze, Giorgi Talakhadze, David Giunashvili, Temur Kurtsikidze, Gennady Kelikhashvili, Dato Gurtskaya, Ramaz Jorbenadze, Jandri Tirkia, Gia Toloraya, Guri Zhvania, Kakhaber Kvachantiradze, Simon Makharadze, Avtandil Topchishvili, and Mikheil Toloraya.

According to security forces, they "along with other individuals, in accordance with the calls of the already detained organizers of the October 4th protest." stormed and damaged the fence of the presidential palace and broke into the courtyard of the building. "In order to seize the building and suppress the resistance of law enforcement officers who were mobilized in the courtyard of the building, some of the accused physically assaulted them and threw various objects in the direction of law enforcement officers who were walking along Atoneli Street toward the presidential palace," the publication quotes the department's statement.

The charges brought against him are completely baseless.

Irakli Shaishmelashvili does not admit guilt in "calls for the violent change of Georgia's constitutional order and the overthrow of state power," his lawyer, Natia Mezvrishvili, stated.

"I familiarized Irakli with the charges yesterday [October 17] evening. He, of course, does not admit his guilt, and he has nothing to admit. The charges brought against him are completely baseless and illegal. His guilt is not supported by any of the evidence presented in the case," the publication quotes her as saying. Words of the publication.

As a reminder, those detained include five protest leaders 1 . They were arrested on charges of organizing group violence, calling for the overthrow of the government, and attempting to seize the presidential palace. They face up to nine years in prison; all five refused to plead guilty.

On October 4, municipal elections were held in all municipalities of Georgia. Candidates from the ruling Georgian Dream party were elected mayor in all 64 cities where elections were held, receiving 100% of the vote in 26 of them. These elections will determine the political balance in Georgia for the coming years. The next major elections in the country are scheduled for 2028, so the current vote is essentially a key one for both the government and the opposition, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Municipal Elections in Georgia on October 4, 2025".

The "Caucasian Knot" is posting materials about the recent municipal elections and protests by opposition supporters on the thematic page "Georgia: Elections Amid Protests".