Elizbarashvili Charged With Threats Over Restaurant Confrontation
By Messenger Staff
Friday, September 4, 2026
The Prosecutor's Office has charged animal rights activist Tamaz Elizbarashvili with making threats, saying he threatened a group of people during a confrontation at a Tbilisi restaurant on August 30 and then returned to the scene armed a short time later.
Elizbarashvili, a well-known government critic who runs a dog shelter, remains in custody after being detained on administrative charges of disobeying police during a search of his home on September 1. The court has not yet ruled on his pre-trial measure.
The Prosecutor's Office said on September 3 that Elizbarashvili has been charged with making threats of bodily harm serious enough to cause reasonable fear they would be carried out, an offense that carries up to a year in prison.
Prosecutors say the case stems from a chance encounter late on August 30, when Elizbarashvili ran into one of the alleged victims at a Tbilisi restaurant. A verbal dispute followed, reportedly triggered by a social media comment Elizbarashvili had previously made about the victim and his family. They say Elizbarashvili threatened the victim and the people with him, telling them the dispute was not over and that he would return within half an hour, while telling them to stay put.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, the group knew Elizbarashvili had access to a weapon and feared he might use it, prompting them to leave the restaurant. Around 12:20 a.m., he allegedly came back to follow through on the threat, his hand tucked into his jacket and armed, and tried to force his way inside while continuing to shout threats and insults at those present. Some people who had not yet left were still nearby and, according to prosecutors, feared he would act on his warning. Elizbarashvili is said to have gone into the restaurant before leaving once he confirmed the alleged victims were no longer there.
The Prosecutor's Office also pointed to a social media post and a livestream Elizbarashvili published the next day, saying he kept up the threats and pushed for an apology, which it says caused the alleged victims further fear.
Elizbarashvili was detained late on September 1 at his home on administrative charges of disobeying police, following a stop and search linked to a separate investigation into alleged threats and illegal firearm purchase and possession.
He has said that several people involved in the August 30 confrontation work for the pro-government, British-sanctioned broadcaster Imedi TV. In a Facebook post the next day, addressed to Imedi employees, he said their conduct during the encounter at Restaurant Skhva was unacceptable and gave them until the end of the day to apologize.
In the livestream that followed, Elizbarashvili said around eight people identifying themselves as Imedi TV staff had confronted him over his posts and pressed him to apologize. He said he refused, left to take his wife home, and came back 25 minutes later to find them gone. He used the livestream to renew his demand for an apology, adding a graphic, profanity-laced threat about what would happen if they refused.
The Prosecutor's Office is separately investigating an alleged assault on Elizbarashvili's lawyer, Ia Siranashvili, who says she was barred from attending the home search and that five police officers kicked her.
