The Georgian Interior Ministry announced the arrest of a foreign national in connection with Abkhaz blogger Daur Buava’s death, noting the accused abandoned Buava in “critical and life-threatening condition” after the two took a narcotic substance in a Tbilisi apartment. The Ministry did not disclose the name or the nationality of the accused.
According to the Ministry, the investigation shows that Buava and the suspect, who were friends, “were together at Daur Buava’s temporary residence in Tbilisi, Didi Dighomi, where they used a narcotic substance, after which both of them became unwell.” The Ministry said that questioning established that the suspect left Buava, who was “in a critical and life-threatening condition,” alone.
“Specifically, the accused locked the door of the apartment from the outside using a second key and left the scene without informing anyone about what had happened or approaching anyone to seek help for Daur Buava,” the Ministry said.
According to the Ministry’s statement, an investigation is underway under Articles 115 and 128 of the Criminal Code, covering incitement to suicide [a standard provision when a person is found dead in unclear circumstances in Georgia], and abandoning a person in danger.
On August 28, reports emerged that Buava, a 31-year-old Abkhaz blogger and TikToker who lived in Tbilisi-controlled territory and published videos promoting Abkhaz-Georgian friendship, was found dead in Tbilisi.
His body was reportedly discovered in a Tbilisi apartment on August 27, days after his suspected death, after neighbors raised concerns over a strong odor. The Interior Ministry said a preliminary inspection of the body found no signs of violence.
Buava, known on TikTok as Tarielovich and followed by more than 100,000 people, was born in Tkvarcheli, occupied Abkhazia, and moved to Georgia proper in 2021, where he was granted Georgian citizenship under a simplified procedure in 2022. He lived in Tbilisi-controlled territory and published videos promoting Abkhaz-Georgian friendship.
In 2022, the de facto security service of Sokhumi filed charges of high treason against Buava, saying the blogger published videos with “direct and latent appeals to an unlimited circle of users aimed at damaging sovereignty, territorial integrity, national security and defense capacity.”
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