“Being in prison cannot truly harm me; it may take its toll on my nerves and my health, but in the final reckoning, all of this does not harm me. Regrettably, it harms our country,” Levan Khabeishvili, Chairman of the Political Council of the United National Movement, has declared at a court hearing.

He expressed confidence that change would come soon, though he stressed that it would require genuine determination and resolve.

“Someone says I criticise the opposition; I don’t. I’ll speak plainly. I call on everyone who considers themselves part of the opposition: those of you who are free today, look after one another as best you can, and please, spare us the ridiculous statements. You know the sort where I used to say ‘well done’ just because everyone was saying the same thing. That time is over. What matters is that this country retreats a little more every single day, petrol prices are rising, and things are getting worse. This country belongs to all of us: to me, to you, to the judge, to everyone sitting in this room. We all want a normal country, a normal justice system, and a normal life. I am certain that no decent person takes any pleasure in this. Every child in the street knows that Khabeishvili is not a criminal, not a danger to society. They couldn’t even pin on me something that would hold up before even the most compliant of courts. For that, at least, I am grateful that you couldn’t even conjure up something that would truly damage me. Prison cannot harm me. It may wear on my nerves and my health. But in the end, it does not harm me. Regrettably, it harms our country,” Khabeishvili declared.

For context, the State Security Service arrested Levan Khabeishvili on September 11, 2025, on charges of publicly promising bribes to officials.