Bass Paata Burchuladze has been sentenced to seven years in prison following an Oct. 4, 2025 protest on Election Day.

The opera singer was among the prominent political figures who were sentenced by the Tbilisi City Court Judge Irakli Khuskivadze. According to reports Burchuladze was the organizer of the rally.

Others who were sentenced included Murtaz Zodelava and Irakli Nadiradze of the opposition United National Movement, both identified as rally organizersl; retired Colonel Lasha Beridze; and Paata Manjgaladze of the opposition Strategy Aghmashenebeli.

In the sentencing, Burchuladze, Zodelava, and Nadiradze were charged with “attempted seizure or blockade of strategic and particularly important facilities, committed by a group,” “organization and leadership of group violence,’ and “incitement to change the constitutional order of Georgia through violence.”

Meanwhile, Former Interior Ministry official Irakli Shaishmelashvili, currently abroad, was sentenced to two years in absentia.

During the court hearing, Burchuladze said he had “nothing to justify” and remains convinced that he is “on the right path.” He added that “Georgia will never surrender,” continuing, “the people are wise and patriotic. That mob of state traitors that has seized power today will disappear like a terrible nightmare, and the skies will clear across all of Georgia.”

On Oct. 6, 2025, Burchuladze was been arrested by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, accused of inciting violent actions during the Oct. 4 protest in Tbilisi. The bass was among several prominent opposition figures, including the United National Movement (UNM) Murtaz Zodelava and Irakli Nadiradze, Strategy Aghmashenebeli leader Paata Manjgaladze, and Colonel Lasha Beridze.