17 individuals have been detained in the case of the death of 19-year-old footballer Giorgi Shakarashvili.
Shakarashvili went missing while at a friend’s birthday party in Mtskheta, a town outside of Tbilisi, early on June 19.
His body was found in the river Aragvi after a four-day search, on June 22.
The case has several witnesses, including a photographer who was also invited to the party.
The photographer told the media that a brawl took place at the party. However, Shakarashvili was not involved in the incident.
The photographer said that after the brawl the party ended abruptly and participants decided to go home by taxi or autostop.
He said that he, Shakarashvili and one more individual were waiting for transport when a car arrived from Tbilisi and individuals wielding iron batons came out and attacked them. The photographer said that he and Shakarashvili ran.
Shakarashvili’s friends say that the deceased footballer did not know how to swim and he would not have entered the river.