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Vakhtang and Uta Komakhidzes against Real TV

January 11, 2011

Gela Mtivlishvili

Tbilisi City Court found admissible complaint of Vakhtang Komakhidze and his son Uta Komakhidze against the TV Company Real TV and started hearings. By the request of plaintiff, the case will be discussed in the closed trial.

The complaint concerns the reportage that covered Vakhtang Komakhidze’s request of political asylum in Switzerland. According to Vakhtang Kokmakhidze, the corresponding reportage tarnishes his honor and dignity and constitutes unlawful intervention in his private life. The reportage concerned Uta Komakhidze’s family as well.

Vakhtang and Uta Komakhidzes are requesting the determination of fact of slander, symbolic compensation of 1 GEL by Real TV as a moral compensation and broadcasting the court decision on TV. Komakhidzes submitted complaint against Komakhidzes in May of 2010.

The lawyers of GYLA Tamar Kordzaia, Natia Kapanadze and Ana Shalamberidze protect Real TV’s interests.

Real TV representative requested finding complaint inadmissible. The court rejected this request. Next hearing will take place on January 24th.

Vakhtang Komakhidze lives in Switzerland right now. Switzerland granted him with political asylum. According to Komakhidze’s statement, government was threatening hindering him from conducting journalistic investigation. The request of political asylum from the Swish government had been explained by Vakhtang Komakhidze in the following way:

“I, journalist Vakhtang Komakhidze, request political asylum from democratic state because today in Georgia my professional activities are restricted and freedom, health and lives of my family members and mine are in danger.

This grave decision was caused by direct, aggressive threat of the government who unilaterally threatened me with the death of my family members if I continue my professional activities.

The threat followed my visit in Tskhinvali together with Paata Zakareishvili and Manana Mebuke where I gained serious materials about the war in August, 2008. The oppression started by the campaign launched by governmental-controlled national TV-Companies and later certain people met me in the streets and they threatened me in the name of the government. They persecuted and watched me all the time and on my departure day to Geneva, at 4:00 am almost complete personnel of the Constitutional Security Department saw me to the airport. Since the fact of persecution will be investigated, I would rather not speak about more details at this stage.

The reason of threats - the documentary movie I work on - is about the issues related with Tskhinvali region and I think information I have collected is very interesting for Georgian society. I do not know which concrete information was most painful for our government; for example, two days before the war, on August 6, state minister of Georgia agreed the de-facto authority of Tskhinvali region the evacuations issues of grandmother of Alana Gagloeva, an employee of the president’s press-service. However, on that time, the government left Georgian population in the hands of Russian army completely unprotected. Or some other information I have might have made the government aggressive about me. Seeking asylum was the only guarantee to finish working on the film and the society will definitely see it.”

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