Officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia have conducted a search at the home of businessman and dog shelter founder Tamaz Elizbarashvili, placing him under administrative arrest during the raid.
According to media reports, police were searching for firearms in the entrepreneur’s apartment. However, a verbal altercation broke out during the search, preventing officers from completing their investigative proceedings. Law enforcement officers handcuffed Elizbarashvili and escorted him into a police vehicle.
“If you ask any police officer, they don’t know [the reason for the detention] themselves; they cannot provide an answer,” said the businessman’s lawyer, Lekso Svimonishvili.
Another defense attorney, Ia Siranashvili, stated that Elizbarashvili owns only one firearm, which is officially registered in his name and was seized by the authorities. She also added that law enforcement officers used physical force against her during the search and obstructed the performance of her professional duties.
Earlier, police searched Elizbarashvili’s vehicle while he was driving with his wife and child.
The press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia reported that the investigative actions were carried out under two articles of the Criminal Code of Georgia:
- Article 151: Threat;
- Article 236: Illegal purchase, storage, and carrying of firearms.
According to media accounts, the investigation was launched following an incident on August 30 at a Tbilisi restaurant involving staff members of the pro-government TV channel Imedi. Prior to this, Tamaz Elizbarashvili wrote on his Facebook page: “Imedi TV staff, yesterday evening at Lisi, at the restaurant ‘Skhva’, you made a huge mistake regarding me. I give you until the end of the day to apologize.”
Later, during the search of their vehicle, the businessman’s wife went live on Facebook, recounting that eight individuals had approached Tamaz Elizbarashvili at the restaurant, demanding an apology for profanities directed at Russians. It was then revealed that they were employees of the pro-government television channel.
“At the behest of Imedi and those abusers, the police are terrorizing my family,” Elizbarashvili stated before the search of his apartment began.