“Mtivlishvili … I Will Bury You Wherever I Meet You!”

Natia Danelishvili, ICK

It is extract from the letter sent to the personal e-mail of Gela Mtivlishvili - editor of the Information Center of Kakheti. The author of the letter is former prosecutor of Kakheti region Levan Sachishvili. He threatens the journalist with death.

“The letter was sent from Levan Sachishvili’s personal e-mail at 3:12 pm on November 6. The letter starts with cursing and ends with threats. The ICK had published information about Levan Sachishvili on November 4. We wrote he was charged under criminal law before being sacked from the prosecutor’s office and the court had imposed bail on him. I think he got irritated with this letter,” said Gela Mtivlishvili.

Despite many attempts we could not estimate the number of Levan Sachishvili’s cell phone; so we could not get in touch with him.

According to the verified information, before Levan Sachishvili was sacked from the Kakheti regional prosecutor’s office, he and another law enforcement officer had so ruthlessly beaten a man in Telavi by service gun that the victim was placed in Telavi district hospital. Neither hospital personnel nor the Kakheti regional prosecutor’s office comments on the accident.

Levan Sachishvili’s brother – Aka Sachishvili is deputy head of the Telavi district police department.

It is noteworthy that in 2010-2011 all facts of intimidation and interference in the professional activities of Kakheti based journalists have not been investigated yet.

On September 14, representatives of the Turkish Company Umut Inshaat prohibited the journalist to footage the protest rally near the Gurjaani hospital under-construction. The administration members even physically assaulted the journalists. As a result they damaged the video-camera. A criminal case was launched on the incident but the investigation did not inquire about the damaged video-camera or the video-footage of the incident.

On September 2, security service officers of the President of Georgia detained Journalist Natia Danelishvili of the ICK when implementing her professional activities in Kvareli; her freedom was restricted during 40 minutes. The security service officers demanded the journalist to erase the photos from the camera; otherwise they threatened with destroying the equipment. Nobody got interested in the incident.

On November 14, 2010 officer from the MIA department in Telavi Gela Chvritidze beat Enri Kobakhidze, director of the local TV-Company Tanamgzavri. The incident has not been resolved yet. Moreover, several months ago the ICK learned that police intended to blame Enri Kobakhidze in provoking a crime based on the testimonies of several people.

On November 5, 2010 authoritative representative of Tetritsklebi territorial entity to Telavi Municipal Board Giorgi Tsiklauri insulted ICK’s correspondent Natia Danelishvili and threatened her with death. “You … why are you writing what I have not said? … you, apologize to me or believe me, you will regret…” Then, Giorgi Tsiklauri told the editor of the ICK over the phone “I will hang your journalist on the tree in Tetritsklebi forest.” After the article was published Giorgi Tsiklauri resigned based on his personal application but during the interim parliamentary election in Telavi district on October 2, 2011 and at the Tetritsklebi precinct he represented the ruling party National Movement; however, officially his wife was the chairperson of the precinct election commission.

On July 3, Dedoplistskaro district governor Nikoloz Shanshiashvili broke video-camera of the ICK’s journalist when the latter was performing professional activities. Despite many public statements, criminal case was not launched on the incident and Shanshiashvili still occupies the position of the district governor.

Explosions of hand-shells in the yard of journalist Gela Mtivlishvili’s house in 2005 have not been resolved either. Criminal case on the first incident was launched under article about hooliganism and the second was launched under charge of premeditated attempt of the journalist’s death. The only response of the Kakheti regional department of the MIA regarding these incidents for the last 6 years has been: “We are carrying out operative-investigative activities.”