A crowd gathered today outside the State Security Service (SSS) in Tbilisi to express support for Levan Khabeishvili, one of the leaders of the United National Movement, who has been held in pre-trial detention for nearly three months. Demonstrators chanted “Freedom to Khabe”, accusing the authorities of jailing him for political reasons.
Party members, relatives, activists and friends insist that Khabeishvili is a political prisoner. They argue that this is the first time since Georgia regained independence that a politician has been imprisoned solely for his public statements.
One of Khabeishvili’s close friends, Mariam Dolidze, addressed the crowd with a sharply worded speech.
“Levan Khabeishvili is locked up not for a crime, not for an action, but for a word — for a political statement,” she said.
Dolidze recalled the events of 2024, when protests against the so-called “Russian law” were met with violence. According to her, a young man who rushed to help demonstrators was “beaten for half an hour, had his facial bones broken, and was told he would be killed and framed as having ‘hit his head.’”
She noted that senior law-enforcement officials were present during the incident and that Khabeishvili publicly identified them the next day — yet no individual has been questioned or charged.
“For 13 years he exposed the corrupt regime of Ivanishvili — Gharibashvili, Liluashvili, Gomelauri, Partskhaladze, Juansher Burchuladze, Chikaidze, Khmaladze… And on September 11, the Russian-style torture regime arrested Levan for a speech,” Dolidze said.
She also claimed that Khabeishvili has been deprived of all communication rights.
“For 85 days he has had no calls, no letters, no meetings. What is this, if not torture?” she stated, appealing to witnesses in Khabeishvili’s case not to “hide from their conscience.”
Dolidze ended her speech by calling for the release of other detainees whom she referred to as “prisoners of the regime.”
Levan Khabeishvili was detained on September 11, following public remarks in which he called on members of the Special Tasks Department to refrain from violence against protesters.
Prosecution says Khabeishvili’s statements constituted “incitement” and “interference with law-enforcement operations.”
Opposition groups, human rights organizations and his supporters, however, argue that the charges are politically motivated and form part of a broader campaign against government critics amid the heated political climate surrounding the adoption of the controversial “foreign agents law.”
Following his arrest, Khabeishvili was placed in pre-trial detention. His lawyers claim he was physically assaulted during his detention, resulting in multiple injuries, and that his access to communication has been severely restricted. The authorities deny the allegations.
Khabeishvili has remained in custody for 85 days, sparking repeated rallies demanding his release.
Image: IPN
