The lawyer of Elene Khoshtaria, a member of the "Coalition for Change," Teona Zakarashvili, stated that Khoshtaria did not have any illegal substances.

Zakarashvili made this statement in response to the Ministry of Internal Affairs' announcement, which claimed that during the search, Khoshtaria "had, presumably, illegal substances, which are being examined by experts."

"She did not have any illegal substances, on the contrary, the Ministry of Internal Affairs' statement practically suggests that after the discovery, three hours later, they came up with the idea. I don't know what their goal is – discreditation or continuing the practice that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has no problem with—'fabricated' cases. This will probably become clear. However, their statement has no connection with reality.

I don’t have information about the search; it was not a search, it was simply the storage of the detained person's belongings. These items are recorded, sealed, and they must be placed in the corresponding package. After that, any procedural actions carried out and whether something happened, they did not provide additional information to her lawyers," said the lawyer.

Regarding the Ministry of Internal Affairs' statement that Khoshtaria’s "placement procedures in the isolator were recorded by the video surveillance cameras of the isolator," the lawyer responded that if the personal search of the detainee was filmed, it is a violation of the law.

"If her personal search was recorded on cameras, this is an additional violation, as it is clearly stated in the regulations of the temporary detention isolator, and it is also mentioned in Georgian legislation, not to mention conventions and other clarifications that filming personal searches with cameras is prohibited," Zakarashvili said.

When asked whether he excludes the possibility of reclassifying Khoshtaria's case from administrative to criminal, the lawyer replied, "Nothing is excluded."

"When dealing with the current regime and this Ministry of Internal Affairs, which has more than 50 regime prisoners, political prisoners, nothing is excluded. Elene Khoshtaria was actively opposing this, and her efforts are directed against the illegality, including what she faced in the temporary detention isolator and what other activists have experienced. Today, the Georgian state has completely gone beyond the legal framework. What the Ministry of Internal Affairs does, which is not difficult for them, is sending illegally detained people to prison and 'fabricating' cases, following the best traditions of the dark '90s, in a manner characteristic of the Russian regime," said Zakarashvili.

According to the lawyer, based on the current information, the court hearing for Khoshtaria's case will not take place today.

For your information, Elene Khoshtaria, a member of the "Coalition for Change," who was administratively detained during a protest rally near Parliament, claims that the law enforcement officers completely stripped her at the Dighomi main police station. According to Khoshtaria, she was physically abused earlier at the police station located on Ramishvili Street.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs, however, stated that all necessary procedures were conducted in full compliance with the law before Khoshtaria was placed in the temporary detention isolator for safety reasons. Furthermore, the Ministry's statement mentions that Khoshtaria violated the internal regulations of the isolator, behaved aggressively, and refused to be searched. Additionally, the Ministry of Internal Affairs notes that Khoshtaria "had, presumably, illegal substances, which have been sent for examination."