Police have arrested a foreign national in connection with the death of Abkhaz blogger Daur Buava.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the detainee has been charged with abandoning a person in distress.

“Employees of the Vake-Saburtalo Main Division of the Tbilisi Police Department, as part of the investigation launched into the death of Daur Buava, arrested a foreign national on charges of abandoning a person in distress.

The investigation has established that the foreign national detained as a suspect and Daur Buava were friends. They were together at Daur Buava’s temporary residence in Tbilisi’s Didi Dighomi district, where they used narcotic substances, after which both of them became unwell.

According to the suspect’s statement, she left Daur Buava, who was in a critically serious and life-threatening condition, alone. Specifically, the suspect 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 seeking help for Daur Buava.

The investigation is being conducted under Article 115 of the Criminal Code - incitement to suicide - and Article 128 - abandoning a person in distress. Relevant comprehensive investigative measures are ongoing in the case,” the statement said.