Journalist Gela Mtivlishvili Petitioned to Chief Prosecutor of Georgia

Information Center of Kakheti

Editor of the ICK, journalist Gela Mtivlishvili petitioned to the Chief Prosecutor of Georgia Murtaz Zodelava. He sues the former Kakheti regional prosecutor Levan Sachishvili and requests to start criminal prosecution against him for having threatened the journalist.

Legal Aid Center for Media of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association provides the journalist with legal assistance.

The petition reads: “I am a journalist and editor of the Information Center of Kakheti. On November 6, 2011 I received a mail on my personal email. The mail was sent by Levan Sachishvili’s personal email at 3:12 pm on November 6. In his letter, Levan Sachishvili insulted, cursed me and my family and at the end of the letter he wrote he would bury me wherever he meets me; so Levan Sachishvili threatened to kill me.

Due to activities and character of Levan Sachishvili, I am really afraid that this person will really fulfill his threat. On November 4, ICK published an article about Levan Sachishvili. We wrote that he was charged under criminal law. According to the ICK, he is accused of abuse his power. Telavi district court imposed a bail on him as a penalty. According to the ICK, Sachishvili had not imposed criminal liability over a suspected person within the estimated deadline and as a result the person was discharged from criminal liability.” I think, this article irritated Levan Sachishvili.

Since Sachishvili was irritated by my professional activities, I have reasonable fear that he will realize his threat. Levan Sachishvili worked at the Kakheti regional prosecutor’s office. His brother Aka Sachishvili is deputy head of the Telavi police department. According to the verified information, before Sachishvili was sacked from the prosecutor’s office, he and one more police officer beat a man with service gun in Telavi; later the man was placed in district hospital. Any person will fear of his threats. I expect he can attack me any moment. Every person has right to live peacefully; but Levan Sachishvili’s threats deprives this right from me.

Under article 151 of the Criminal Code of Georgia the threat of death or damage to health or destroying property in case the person being threatened has reasonable fear that the threat will be carried out shall be punishable.

Besides, I have reasonable fear that he wants me to stop my journalistic activities because his threatening letter was related with my professional activities. In accordance to the Article 154 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, illegal preventing a journalists from carrying out his/her professional activities, i.e. his/her coercion into spreading or not spreading information, shall be punishable.

Hence, I kindly request you to evaluate the above-mentioned circumstances in accordance to the law and start investigation under Article 100 of the Criminal Procedural Code of Georgia.

Photo: Levan Sachishvili