Levan Khabeishvili, Chairman of the Political Council of the opposition party United National Movement (UNM), was arrested on Wednesday near the premises of “Formula” TV. The incident was confirmed by the channel’s director, Misha Mshvildadze, who released video footage of the arrest.
Khabeishvili, speaking moments before being taken into custody, declared that his detention was politically motivated and ordered by the ruling party leadership. He accused the State Security Service and its head, Mamuka Mdinaradze, of carrying out directives designed to weaken the opposition.
“Friends, you must understand that the State Security Service is carrying out the orders given to Mdinaradze. Do not be afraid of anything, because the power lies with the Georgian people. I was expecting this arrest — they are doing it because, apparently, one person, Khabeishvili, is capable of defeating Ivanishvili. But you can defeat Ivanishvili, you can defeat this regime,” Khabeishvili said in a defiant message.
Shortly after his detention, another UNM member, Murtaz Zodelava, was also taken to the State Security Service building. The reasons for his transfer remain unclear, and his family has stated they have not been informed about his legal status or the grounds for his detention.
Earlier, commenting on Khabeishvili’s arrest, Zodelava urged citizens to respond to what he described as a “cascade of illegality” through mass participation in the upcoming October 4 elections.
“There is now such a cascade of illegality and lawlessness in general, that we must respond to all of it on October 4. Absolutely everyone — men, women, every single person — must gather their strength, and on October 4 we must give a response to all of this,” Zodelava stated.
The detentions mark another escalation in Georgia’s increasingly tense political environment, with the opposition accusing the ruling party of using state institutions to suppress dissent ahead of the elections.
