The Public Defender of Georgia has issued a recommendation to the Prosecutor General and the Head of the State Security Service to return the mobile phone of imprisoned opposition politician Levan Khabeishvili either to him or to his authorized representative.
The Ombudsman’s statement notes that, despite the verdict delivered by the Tbilisi City Court on May 21, 2026, the phone has still not been returned to its owner, even five months later:
“The reason cited is an ongoing forensic examination that has lasted for over a year, even though the legal proceedings have concluded and neither party has appealed the verdict.”
In September, defense attorney Lasha Tkesheladze held a briefing outside the State Security Service headquarters, demanding the return of his client’s mobile device.
“If you have not been able to unlock Levan Khabeishvili’s phone in a year, you won’t unlock it even if ten years pass,” Tkesheladze said at the time.
The former chairman of the United National Movement party was sentenced to two years and six months in prison in a case involving “promising a bribe to a public official and calling for the overthrow of the government.” The charges stem from Khabeishvili’s promise to pay 200,000 lari to law enforcement officers who refused to disperse protest rallies in the event of a change of government. Shortly after his detention, the opposition figure was charged with an additional offense: public calls for the overthrow of state power.
