Newspaper “Batumelebi” Protests Attempt and Desire of SOD to Frighten Their Employees and to Interfere in Their Editorial Independence

The newspaper “Batumelebi” protests the attempt of the Special Operation Department (SOD) within MIA to frighten and blackmail the personnel of the newspaper and desire of the SOD to interfere in the editorial independence of the newspaper; also they attempted to humiliate the name of newspaper in regard with the  sexual orientation based on the stigma in Georgia.

Herewith, newspaper Batumelebi applied to the office of chief prosecutor to start investigation on the incident, which occurred on November 25.

On November 25 at about 8:00 pm director of the newspaper Batumelebi Mzia Amaghlobeli, Editor-in-chief Eter Turadze and coordinator of journalistic investigative group Tedo Jorbenadze were in the former building of the ministry of security.

The officers of the Special Unit met Tedo Jorbendze near the office of the newspaper half an hour before and requested him to accompany them to the police station. They clarified that they had questions about personal issues and they would talk with him about it in details at the police station.

Tedo Jorbenadze offered them he would come to the police station in several minutes, because he had working meeting.

He informed the administration of the newspaper about the fact. At that moment someone called him on the mobile phone (the phone number is known) and told him they were waiting for him at the police station. They explained to him that the conversation would be about his sexual partner.

Mzia Amaghlobeli and Eter Turadze went to the police station together with Tedo Jorbenadze.

At the police station (former building of the ministry of security, Griboedovi Street #4, Batumi), law enforcement officers requested Tedo Jorbenadze to go up the fourth floor alone, but he refused. After that, two people (one of them the person who had met Jorbenadze in the street) went out of the room. They led Tedo Jorbenadze into the ground floor of the building, but did not allow members of the newspaper administration to go into the hall.

They showed black and white photos of two men in underwear to Tedo Jorbenadze. They told him one of the men on the photo was him. The officers explained to him that he is deputy editor of the newspaper and since special service units of foreign countries, like Russia and Turkey, are interested in the newspaper, they requested his assistance and collaboration. If Tedo Jorbenadze refused, they threatened him with sending those photos to his sick father and colleagues, with uploading them in the internet. Thus, he could lose job or he would not be able to interview anybody. Jorbenadze stated they could not frighten him by spreading fabricated photos and left the building.

They called Tedo Jorbenadz several minutes later and requested to come back with his colleagues. Officers led them up to the fourth floor of the building, Eter Turadze asked if they had launched investigation against Jorbenadze, but they refused. Meanwhile, one of the law enforcement officers told Eter Toradze that Jorbenadze was not worth to work for the Batumelebi newspaper and he was dishonest person. The editor of newspaper clarified that she would not allow anybody to insult her colleagues.

Besides this, the officers from the SOD told them they respected the newspaper and talked with them so politely; otherwise they could bring Tedo to the police station in another way too.

Source: Editorial Board of the Newspaper “Batumelebi”