Tamaz Elizbarashvili, a businessman and animal rights activist, left custody on Thursday, 22 October. He had struck a plea agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office. The case grew out of a confrontation at a Tbilisi restaurant with people who work for the pro-government channel Imedi TV.
A court gave Elizbarashvili, 63, a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for a one-year probation period. He must also pay a fine of GEL 50,000 (about USD 19,300), IPN reported. Elizbarashvili is a prominent critic of the government.
What the plea deal says
The agreement ended a case that began seven weeks ago. Elizbarashvili pleaded guilty at the hearing to making threats.
“I understand that what I said was a threat,” he told the court, according to IPN. “Of course, I threatened them. I admit to the charge the Prosecutor’s Office brought against me.”
Prosecutor Goga Kakochashvili said the defendant “admitted guilt and voluntarily repented”. Elizbarashvili wrote a statement with his lawyers and asked for the deal, the prosecutor said. The agency approved the request.
This marks a shift in his position. After his arrest, Elizbarashvili told a court he was innocent and said his account of the evening differed from the prosecution’s.
How the case began
The dispute started on the night of 30 August at a Tbilisi restaurant. Prosecutors say Elizbarashvili met one of the alleged victims there by chance. A row followed over a social media post he had written about the man and his family.
Elizbarashvili’s own account is different. He said about eight people who identified themselves as Imedi TV employees confronted him over his posts. They wanted him to apologise, he said. He refused, took his wife home and returned about 25 minutes later. The group had gone.
On 31 August, he posted on Facebook that the employees had “really crossed the line”. He demanded an apology by the end of the day. In a livestream, he repeated the demand and added a sexually explicit threat against them.
Timeline
| Date | Development |
| 30 August | The confrontation takes place at the restaurant. |
| 31 August | Elizbarashvili posts on Facebook and goes live online. |
| 1 September | Police stop his car. He is detained on an administrative charge of disobeying police. Officers search his home. |
| 3 September | Prosecutors charge him with making threats. |
| 4 September | A judge orders pre-trial detention. Prosecutors release surveillance footage. |
| 22 October | He pleads guilty, is sentenced and walks free. |
The charge and the detention
Prosecutors charged Elizbarashvili under Article 151(1) of the Criminal Code. It covers threats of bodily harm and death. The maximum penalty is one year in prison.
On 4 September, Judge Arsen Kalatozishvili ordered him held before trial. Prosecutors cited the risk that he could tamper with evidence, flee or carry out the alleged threats, Georgia Today reported. His lawyers had asked for release or bail of GEL 20,000.
Elizbarashvili began a hunger strike after his arrest. He called the case unjust. Separately, he denied writing an insulting comment on an animal shelter’s Facebook page that reportedly sparked the dispute. Others have access to that page, he said.
The footage
Prosecutors released video on 4 September. The video, they said, showed Elizbarashvili returning to the restaurant and “presumably” hiding a weapon under his jacket. He “presumably” put it in his car later, they said.
The footage shows his right hand hidden under the jacket, near his chest. Later, his hand is free and the jacket is open. No weapon is visible.
The defence said no witness confirmed that he was armed. His lawyers noted that the only firearm seized from his home was registered in his name. The reports reviewed by Times of Georgia do not mention a separate firearms conviction.
Who the alleged victims are
Media reports identified up to seven alleged victims. Reports say they work for Imedi TV. RFE/RL reported that some are connected with the channel’s programmes.
Imedi has not commented in the reports reviewed. One of the men has said the group did not file a complaint but cooperated with the investigation.
Open questions
Several matters remain unresolved. A plea ends the criminal case but not the argument about it. Elizbarashvili has said the group confronted him over his political views. Prosecutors say the case concerns threats.
A separate matter also continues. Elizbarashvili’s lawyer, Ia Siranashvili, said officers assaulted her during the search of his home. The Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into the claim. Reports give no outcome yet.
Where this fits
Imedi is one of two pro-government channels that the UK sanctioned in February over alleged “Russian disinformation”. We report on the other, POSTV, in a story on MP Viktor Japaridze’s sale of his stake.
