Day: May 21, 2026

Opposition politician Levan Khabeishvili of the United National Movement has been sentenced to 2.5 years in prison on “sabotage” and coup incitement charges over his public statements made weeks and months ahead of the October 4, 2025, election-day “peaceful revolution” rally.

Tbilisi City Court Judge Irakli Khuskivadze handed down the sentence during a May 21 court hearing, after reclassifying one of the charges at the last minute.

Khabeishvili was detained on September 11 and was later charged with bribery and coup incitement. Prosecutors cited his public statements in which he promised USD 200,000 to police officers who would side with demonstrators during the planned October 4 rally and act as whistleblowers, and alleged that the opposition politician was “systematically calling on citizens from television and through social media to commit acts such as overthrowing the state government, for which he would determine a specific date and place.”

The judge found him guilty of coup incitement, but reclassified the bribery charges, convicting him instead under Article 318 of the criminal code, which covers “sabotage,” according to Publika.

Khabeishvili rejected the charges during a May 20 court hearing, saying the case was based solely on his public statements.

“There is nothing in the case except my public statements […],” Khabeishvili told the court. “There is no victim in this case, there is no object to whom I would have transferred anything, and there is no benefit that I would have received.”

He argued prosecutors had failed to present evidence of any covert or illegal actions beyond his remarks, saying “because of perceptions [of Prosecutor], a politician should be in prison.”

Judge Khuskivadze also sentenced another UNM member, Murtaz Zodelava, to 9 months in prison on allegations of obstructing an investigation in the same case. Prosecutors said he attempted to interfere with a State Security Service investigator and conceal evidence related to the case, including Khabeishvili’s mobile phone. Zodelava is already serving a seven-year sentence over charges linked to the October 4 unrest near the Atoneli presidential palace.

Khabeishvili was among the figures publicly campaigning for a mass rally on October 4, 2025, coinciding with the partially-boycotted municipal elections, where organizers promised to “peacefully overthrow” the Georgian Dream government.

With Khabeishvili already behind bars, the day indeed grew into unrest when a group of protesters attempted to occupy the presidential palace following calls from mass rally organizers. Police dispersed the crowd using pepper spray, tear gas, and water cannons, and went to arrest up to 60 people on coup- and violence-related criminal charges. GD officials described the events as a foreign-orchestrated coup attempt.

The court delivered its first verdicts in the unrest case on May 7, including handing down multi-year sentences for rally organizers, among them prominent opera singer and activist Paata Burchuladze. Dozens more await rulings.

Also Read:

• 20/10/2025 – October 4 Continues to Haunt Georgia as Questions Persist
• 16/07/2025 – Kobakhidze Claims ‘Corrupt’ Ex-GD Members Feed Information to Opposition
• 01/05/2024 – UNM Chair Severely Beaten by Police During Rally Against Agents’ Law