Levan Khabeishvili, chairman of the political council of the opposition United National Movement (UNM) party, has released an open letter from prison. In it, he commented on the verdict against him, called on supporters to launch a political offensive, and expressed his gratitude to independent media.
The Tbilisi City Court delivered the verdict in the high-profile case against Khabeishvili on the afternoon of May 21. Initially, the opposition politician was accused of promising a bribe to a public official and calling for the overthrow of state power. During the final hearing, the judge reclassified the charge from Article 317 to Part 1 of Article 318 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, sentencing the UNM political council chairman to two years and six months in prison.
In his letter, Khabeishvili emphasized that he does not intend to give in to despair, despite the harsh conditions of his detention.
“I am not going to weep and lament, despite all the suffering that accompanies every minute spent in solitary confinement. Real dissidents have been sentenced to seven years, students are being held hostage, and against this backdrop, giving up is a crime.”
According to the UNM leader, the main obstacle to a change of power in the country is the fear purposefully stoked by the founder of the ruling party, Bidzina Ivanishvili. Khabeishvili called on opposition forces to set aside internal differences and unite for a large-scale street protest.
“Between us and victory stands the fear that Ivanishvili stokes every second. But if we stop being afraid and embrace Saakashvili’s call to unite around the national flag, victory will be inevitable. We will remain in the hands of the ‘Kotsebi’ [representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party] until we find the courage to go on the offensive. And an offensive means the protest of hundreds of thousands of people,” Khabeishvili writes.