Prepared by Messenger Staff
Animal Rights Activist Tamaz Elizbarashvili Detained After Police Searches
Georgian animal rights activist Tamaz Elizbarashvili was administratively detained after police stopped his car near Lake Lisi, searched him and the vehicle, and later searched his apartment. He was taken from the building in handcuffs.
The Interior Ministry told Radio Liberty that the investigation concerns possible firearms-related offenses and threats.
The case reportedly stems from a confrontation on August 30 at the Khva restaurant involving Elizbarashvili and employees of the pro-government Imedi television channel. According to his wife, eight people confronted Elizbarashvili and demanded that he apologize for insulting Russians. She said the group identified themselves as Imedi employees.
The following day, Elizbarashvili posted on Facebook demanding an apology from Imedi staff and later accused them of using the police to target his family.
His lawyer told TV Pirveli that the apartment search could not be completed because of the detention. "My colleague claims that violence was committed against him, which I did not personally witness," the lawyer said, describing the police attitude as "very aggressive."
Georgian Citizen Released From Detention In Occupied Tskhinvali Region, Security Service Says
A Georgian citizen detained in the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region has been released and transferred to territory controlled by Tbilisi, Georgia's State Security Service (SSSG) said on Tuesday.
The SSSG did not identify the man, following its recent practice. The Res news agency, based in occupied Tskhinvali, identified him as 31-year-old Giorgi Uznadze. It reported that Uznadze was detained on March 17 on charges of "illegally crossing the state border" and was handed over to the Georgian side after serving a six-month sentence.
The SSSG said it had repeatedly raised the issue of his release through the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) and the Geneva International Discussions.
"The Georgian central government regularly raised the issue of the Georgian citizen's unconditional release from illegal detention within the framework of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) and the Geneva International Discussions," the agency said.
The security service said Georgia also made extensive use of a hotline and other available channels, while international partners took part in negotiations.
