The arrested Elizbarashvili faced restrictions on his rights
Entrepreneur Tamaz Elizbarashvili, arrested in Tbilisi after a conflict with employees of a pro-government TV channel, has been deprived of the rights to visits, correspondence, and phone calls by the decision of the investigation.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on September 3, Tamaz Elizbarashvili was charged with making threats of murder or causing harm to health, and on September 4, the Tbilisi City Court sent him to detention. The appellate court upheld the detention decision.
Entrepreneur and animal rights activist Tamaz Elizbarashvili was detained on September 1. He reported persecution by the authorities after a conflict with employees of a pro-government TV channel. Under part 1 of Article 151 of the Criminal Code of Georgia (threat of murder or causing harm to health), the 60-year-old entrepreneur faces up to a year in prison.
By the investigator's ruling, Tamaz Elizbarashvili is prohibited from "communicating with the outside world," said the entrepreneur's lawyer Lexo Svimonishvili.
According to him, Elizbarashvili has been deprived of the right to long visits, the right to short visits, the right to correspondence, and the right to phone calls, reported late on September 15 by "Interpressnews."
The grounds for the ban, according to the defense, were cited by the investigator as "the threat of influence or pressure on witnesses, the threat of obstructing the collection of evidence, the threat of obstructing the administration of justice," writes "Georgia Online."
It should be noted that, according to the investigation, on August 30, a conflict occurred at a restaurant involving Elizbarashvili and a long-time opponent: he entered into a verbal dispute with him over past comments on social media. The businessman promised to return in half an hour and "not leave this matter just like that." Knowing that Elizbarashvili had a weapon, the opponent and his companions left.
Around midnight, Elizbarashvili returned to the restaurant, but, not finding his opponents, left. The defense rejected the investigation's version that Elizbarashvili returned to the restaurant with a weapon.
Tamaz Elizbarashvili is known as a businessman and the owner of a shelter for homeless dogs. During the flood in Tbilisi in June 2015, his shelter suffered from the disaster: about 80 dogs died, and 14 animals were saved. In 2016, the city hall fined Elizbarashvili for the unauthorized installation of protective railings in the Vere Gorge. He explained that he installed the fence due to the danger to people after the flood and the inaction of the authorities.